Guardians of dusk
by MerlinTheDolma
Summary: Merlin goes to the forest to pick up herbs for Gaius, but never dreamed he would ever make the encounter of a very interesting character... As a new kind of foe will be making their appearances, will he and his new friend be able to stop them? This is my first fanfic ever, so it's going to be a bit cheesy, please forgive! Doctor Who appears after chapter 7 :) Review please :D
1. Chapter 1

"Merlin!" cried a voice, "Oi! Merlin! Where is that bloody boy? MERLIN!"

"I'm coming Gaius, just wait a moment!" A loud noise of falling metal filled the tower.

"What the ruddy hell are you doing?"

"Remember when you told me to clean my room, or else I'd lose something? Well I lost something!"

"Merlin I swear, if you lost that magic book... If someone finds out about your powers... I will be there helping them execute you!"

"No, no, not the book. AH, found it! It was my red scarf! It was under the leech tank!" said Merlin when entering the room.

"You have a leech tank?!" he sighed, "any future plans of cleaning?"

"It depends," he smirked, "Any future plans of Arthur not behaving like a prat?"

"What does that have to do with ... Ah Merlin I think that's him calling after you."

Surely enough, a resounding "MERLIN!" echoed to his ears. "Great," he muttered, "Just, great. He's all pissed now. I bet it's because he can't find his comb."

"MERLIN!" Arthur's voice now sounded louder than it ever did.

"I think you'd better go, Merlin." Gaius seemed to have a mocking smile when Merlin left the room... It was a particularly sunny day, and the weather was really warm, even though it was still January. There was a strange feeling in the air, a happy, loving feeling. Merlin felt himself really pleased when the most blissful breeze brushed against his hair and cheekbones, and was wondering how could Arthur possibly be angry with such a beautiful and perfect morning when he realized he was standing in front of his chamber's door.

He knocked and entered without waiting a reply. There was Arthur and Gwen who was helping him get dressed. "There you are Merlin! Where were you when I was calling you? You're lucky Guinevere was here to help me out, or I'd be looking for a new manservant by now!"

And there, Merlin just burst out laughing "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were such a clot-pole that you couldn't even dress yourself!" Gwen giggled wildly, but looking at the deadly expression on Arthur's face, she stopped, and Merlin added quickly "So, is there anything I can do for you, sire?" but, judging by the malicious sneer on Arthur's face, he just knew he was in trouble. "Yes," the king responded slowly, "I suppose there _is_ something you can do..." He seemed to think for a while, but just when he opened his mouth, Gwen pleaded "Oh come on Arthur, don't be _too_ harsh on him!" Arthur, with a miserable attempt to look innocent, replied "_Me_? _Harsh_? Guinevere, when have I _ever_ been hard on Merlin?" All three of them laughed wholeheartedly at that statement, and then Arthur continued "Oh well, if you say so, my queen. And besides, it _is_ a beautiful day. You may go Merlin." Merlin faked a smile and replied "Thank you, _my lord_." and turned away, but Gwen stopped him before he went out and said "Oh um Merlin, before you go, could you please tell Gaius to come? I've been feeling a bit down lately..." Merlin, just as surprised as Arthur, answered "Why, what's wrong? Are you OK?" But Guinevere simply smiled and nodded, and Merlin said "Alright, I'll go now. But please look after yourself!" She beamed at him and said "I will, thank you Merlin! Now see Arthur, that's a gentleman!" Merlin glimpsed at a dumbstruck Arthur before he left the room and couldn't help sniggering all the way to the physician's study.

The second Merlin entered, Gaius said "There you are Merlin!" Merlin jumped by surprise.

"Gaius what did you do that for?! You scared me to death!"

Gaius laughed "And enough to wet yourself, apparently..."

Merlin looked down and saw a wet stain on his pants and said "I hate you..." He went to his room to change "Thank God Arthur wasn't here... he wouldn't have let me hear the end of it!"

Gaius climbed in front of the door and talked through it "Merlin when you're done, I need you to fetch me some herbs in the forest. Some roots, you know... There is a disease spreading around the city, and I just don't have enough ingredients."

Merlin came out of the room with a new pair of pants and said "Ah! That reminds me! Gwen wants to see you, she's been feeling a bit sick lately!"

"Gwen? Alright I'll go see her right away. Is it anything serious?"

"She said she's fine... Alright Gaius, I got my stuff ready. Now where exactly in the forest do I have to look?"

"Oh it's a white and blue flower that you can find a mile at the south of the Valley of the Fallen Kings."

"OK. See you then!" And he strode off, past the hall, the entrance gate and the guards, walked down the main road through the crowded town, and entered the forest.

Even the forest seemed to be happy, the sun could actually get past the trees, so it didn't look like its gloomy self for once. After what seemed like a 30 minutes walk, he started to see patches of the flower Gaius described. Merlin began to pick the beautiful plants one by one, until his leather bag was full.

But, right at the moment when he straightened himself, he heard a sob up ahead, and from what he could distinguish, it was a young woman crying. It was at that moment too that the strange happy feeling in the air had gone, and was replaced by sulkiness.

Merlin followed the source of the crying but beautiful voice, and was amazed by what was clearly the scene of a past assault: There were bits of destroyed caravans on the forest's floor, blood drooling of what was clearly dead men, and a girl, crying.

She can't have been older than he was, but she sure was beautiful. She had the palest skin, but it didn't seem like she was sick, on the contrary, she looked really healthy. She had long, jet black hair, but you'd think they were emitting light. _It must be because of the sun_, Merlin thought. But what sun? The forest was back to its gloomy state, and it must be the time for dusk.

He approached the young woman, but as he did so she noticed him and turned around, terrified. "Are you alright?" he heard himself ask. But right there, at that very moment, the girl fainted. "What the...?!" he gasped in surprise. He jumped to the girl, shook her, but no response. He checked her pulse and her breathing, and felt them. "Well, at least she's alive..." he muttered to himself. He held her by the waist and lifted her up. She was very light, it was as though she weren't there at all! And so, he carried her to the castle, wondering what people would think seeing him carrying a lifeless girl.

As night started to fall, he got to the castle, and encountered sir Gwaine on his way. Gwaine was a very good friend of Merlin's, even though he almost always talked like a drunk.

"Ah, there you are! Arthur's been looking all over for you! Something about 'training' and 'beating you up'. Gaius told him that you weren't at the tavern, that you were plucking up herbs, but I don't think he believed him..." His eyes flicked from Merlin to the girl, and then continued, "Merlin, are you so desperate to get a girl that you started abducting them?" The knight laughed at his own joke, but Merlin replied indignantly "I had a girlfriend before!" But Gwaine just laughed and said sarcastically "Oh yeah? Where is she? What's her name?" Merlin's heart sank, and he replied, close to tears, "Fre... Freya's dead..." The knight, noticing Merlin's serious face face, replied "Oh, sorry... I didn't know... So what's up with this one?" He changed the subject hastily by jerking his head towards the motionless girl. "I don't know," Merlin admitted, "I found her in the forest, but when I talked to her she just passed out..."

Gwaine snorted loudly and said "No surprise there!"

"I so want to kill you right now..." Merlin retorted.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try!" Gwaine said, "Oh, looks like we're there. See you later!"

Sure enough, they had arrived in front of Gaius's study's door. "Yeah." Merlin replied. "Later."

He opened the door and just like before, Gaius scared him with a "Oh Merlin thank Goodness! I started to get worried!" Well, at least this time Merlin didn't pee in his pants... "Who is this?" he added, staring at the immobile body.

"I don't know..." Merlin said, "she was awake until she saw me. Then she just fainted!"

"Well then put her down on that bed." Gaius said.

Merlin did as he was told. As he did that, he noticed a beautiful golden necklace with a cross on it around the girl's neck. _Since when do people wear golden necklaces showing off there religion? We are in the sixth century!_ Merlin thought.

"Alright. Now let me see what's wrong." Gaius bent down and started checking her.

"Oh that reminds me! What's up with Gwen?" Merlin asked. But Gaius smiled and just answered "Oh, I think you'll want to hear it from Arthur. He looks terrified. You'll have a great laugh!"

"Terrified?" Merlin said in surprise "Why? Is it something serious? Gaius! Stop laughing!"

"Oh no" Gaius chuckled, "nothing like that. It's wonderful, actually!"

Merlin thought Gaius had lost his marbles so he gave up and decided to wait for tomorrow morning to ask Arthur or Gwen.

"So, how is she?" he said, staring at the young woman.

"I don't understand," Gaius replied "she seems to be in perfect health! perhaps she's just sleeping... She does look tired. I think we'll know by tomorrow morning. You should get some sleep too."

Sure enough, he did find himself exhausted.

"Alright. Night." he said.

"Good night Merlin." Gaius replied.

He went to bed and was fast asleep. His dream was blurry, but when he woke up he could only remember a light telling him something about his destiny.

There was a delicious smell in the room, and the good feeling in the weather was stronger than ever. He went out and found the very same girl he found in the forest cooking something that smelled like meat and eggs.

She beamed at him, and before he could say "good morning" she began, "Oh, hello! I hope you don't mind, but I made you and your friend breakfast to thank you for your help."

Well, one thing was certain: she had a beautiful voice, and sounded like she was singing. She was also even more incredibly beautiful now that she was smiling.

Merlin was taken aback. She seemed really fine considering the fact that she's the only survivor of an attack.

"Where did you get all of this?" he pointed towards the food.

"Oh, I went to the forest and hunted down some rabbits, and found chickens, so I took some of their eggs." She said in a casual tone.

"But, where did you find the weapons?" he asked.

"I made my own bow from some dead branches over there." she answered, "Hold on... I don't seem to know your name."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm Merlin," he said, "and you?"

"Merlin... such a lovely name..." she smiled absentmindedly and continued "You can call me Caitlin."

"What were you doing back in the forest, Caitlin?" He thought he should get straight to the point.

"Oh, I was having a walk over there, it's always so beautiful, until I found those dead men..." He noticed her eyes becoming very red all of a sudden, and soon enough tears started to fall down her flawless cheeks.

"But, if you didn't know them, why are you crying?" Already confused, Merlin got even more so when he saw an expression of pure astonishment on her face.

"How do you think I would react when I find out that someone went as bad as commit murder?" she said, still in disbelief.

"Er... be mad at the murderer I guess... and feel sad towards the victim? But surely, if you don't know them, it isn't worth your tears!" Merlin answered.

"But of course. I guess you wouldn't know..." she said in a very sweet voice, "Have breakfast while I explain. Your friend is still sleeping... What's his name, by the way?"

Merlin answered as he sat down: "Oh right, that is Gaius. He's my guardian."

"Did you say Gaius? I was supposed to meet with him! That's why I came here! Well, moving on..." She seemed to ponder over what to say. Merlin helped himself with some meat and eggs. "That's delicious! Thanks!" he said.

She smiled and said "Well, I guess I'll explain myself. You said you'd be mad if someone killed. Well I wouldn't... Actually, I'd feel sad for them. Even more so, I pity them. I wasn't crying over those dead men, because they're in a better place now. I was crying over all this violence. Scenes of violence between men have always been my one weakness - Not that I can't get a grip over myself when I need to!" she added hastily.

"But," interjected Merlin, "that still doesn't explain why you fainted when you saw me!"

"Oh, yeah..." she though a little, then said "I guess I was just tired... I had a very long journey, and by foot on top of that!... I didn't want anyone to notice my arrival."

"Well, I noticed, alright!" Merlin said.

"And I am lucky you did!" she replied cheerfully.

Merlin just finished eating, it's been ages since he last had such a good breakfast!

"Well, I better go and look after Arthur!" Merlin said, "And just in case you're wondering,-"

"He's not a baby, he's the king."she interrupted him.

"How did you know I was going to say that?!" He said, both amazed and intrigued.

"Well, I do know the name of my own king, obviously." she retorted, "And by the way you just talked about him, I guessed you were thinking of a baby."

"Well, you're the most impressive person I've ever met!" he said, "I mean, making your own bow, hunting, cooking, guessing so quickly..."

"Are you hitting on me, Merlin?" she said, smiling.

"No!" he said quickly, "No, I just... I just meant you were impressive!"

"Relax, Merlin," she said, laughing, "I was just kidding!" and she continued laughing.

"Oh hardy har har!" he said annoyingly, "Well, I better get going. Tell Gaius what you just told me." _I wonder what will be his reaction when he finds a complete stranger making him breakfast, _he thought.

"OK, bye!" she said, still smiling.

Merlin went to the kitchens, grabbed a plate and started throwing anything he could find in it. Cheese, ham, sausages,bread... and at last, when he was satisfied, he broke into a run towards the king's chamber. "Good morning, my lord!" he said, entering the room. But Arthur didn't budge. Merlin, used to this, went and opened the curtains, saying loudly "Rise and shine!". This time, the king let out a groan and said "Mm-m-morning." He looked as though he hadn't slept all night. "Where have you been yesterday?" he asked. He then started to eat lazily.

"Where's Gwen?" Merlin asked, now realizing that Guinevere wasn't in bed. But Arthur just gave a somber look and then said "I asked you first."

"I was collecting some herbs for Gaius," he said impatiently, "and then I found a girl, about our age, who fainted, so I brought her here for Gaius to check up, so don't worry if you see her wondering around, by the way."

"Well, it sounds as though we both had a hard day..." He said darkly.

"Oh yeah, Gaius told me something good happened but you were all miserable!" Merlin remembered, "So, what's up?"

"Arthur is being a _complete_ idiot. _That_'s what's up!" said Gwen's voice from behind him.

"My lady," answered Merlin, "tell me something I don't know." she seemed to smile a little as the king's face filled with indignity, and then said to Arthur "_You_ tell him. After all, you wanted to _'break the bad news to him'."_

"Now hold on a minute!" said Arthur, "I was under shock!"

"AND SO WAS I, BUT ATLEAST _I _DIDN'T SEE IT AS THE END OF THE WORLD!" she howled, shaking with rage.

"Will you calm down and tell me what's going on?" asked Merlin.

"Don't talk to the queen that way!" said Arthur, clearly just trying to calm her down and not minding how he does talks to her.

"HE CAN TALK TO ME AS WELL AS HE DAMN WANTS TO!" she exploded.

"As you can see Merlin, _Guinevere _and I had a fight." he said quite plainly. "I guess that answers your first question. Now, as for what's going on,-"

"I'm pregnant!" She interrupted, beaming and rubbing her stomach. She obviously couldn't wait to tell him.

"Oh my God! That's wonderful!" He said, taken aback. It felt really good that he was in such good speaking terms with the queen and king that they considered him as their best friend and told him everything. Gwen smiled even more, then said "Would you tell _him_?" she said, jerking her head towards her husband. Then she left the room as suddenly as when she came.

"Why are you taking it so badly?" he asked.

"Can we just drop the subject?" Arthur asked. There was a hint of pleading in his voice.

"Sure." Merlin said, "Anything else, my lord?"

"No thank you, Merlin." he said gratefully. "You can go."

As Merlin closed the door, Gwen jumped in front of him, whispering, "Please, Merlin, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" he answered.

"Can you find out what's wrong with Arthur?" she asked, "You're his best friend, I'm sure he'll tell you eventually. I thought that maybe making a fuss about it would make him tell me, but he still won't tell, and I can't go on pretending to be angry with him all the time."

"Are we talking about the _same_ Arthur?" he said, "You know how he is talking about his feelings."

"Merlin," she said, "you mean more to him than anything, even though it would be the last thing he would ever say. I'm sure that if anyone can make him talk, you're the one. Please, promise me you'll try!"

"Well, of course I will." he said, "But I can't promise you anything coming out of him."

"Thank you, Merlin!" she said, looking happier than ever.

"Well, bye!" He said.

"Have a nice day!" she replied. They smiled at each other and Merlin went back up the spiral staircase leading to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning Merlin!" said Gaius. He was mixing up some ingredients.

"Morning!" he replied. "So, I heard about the big news... wait, where's Caitlin?"

Gaius looked up and said "I think she said something about going to the forest. To explore, you know..."

"She told me she came to Camelot to talk to you." said Merlin, "What did she say?"

"Oh, I was expecting her visit, but I thought it was still too soon for her to come. - And no, I never saw her before in my life." he added, looking at Merlin's inquiring face. "Her... father, who is one of my, er... acquaintances, asked me to guard her, to find her a job, just as your mother did."

"So she'll be staying with us?" Merlin asked.

"Indeed." Gaius answered. "I think you'll get along fine. I must say I do love her cooking skills."

"Yeah, she really is good." Merlin said, "And she's very nice too."

There was a short pause that Gaius cut. "So tell me, how did they 'break it down' to you?"

"Gaius you should have been there!" Merlin said, laughing, "Gwen was yelling at Arthur and he looked like all hell broke lose! It was bloody brilliant!"

"I know!" Gaius said, laughing too, "They were like that when I left them yesterday."

The door opened, and Caitlin entered. "Hello!" she said.

"Hey!" they answered together.

"I heard that the queen is pregnant! How wonderful!" she said, "But when I had a glimpse of the king, he seemed to be scared to death... The poor man..."

"Yeah, that's great." said Merlin. "Gaius told me you were staying with us!"

"Oh yeah," she said, "I hope you don't mind, though!"

"Not at all." he said, "Why would I be bothered?"

"Oh, yeah," Gaius said, "I didn't get there yet. Since there isn't much space here, I placed another bed in your room, Merlin. She will be sleeping there." He saw the girl's face redden, breaking the whiteness of her pale skin.

"I'll leave you two alone, then." she said, heading towards Merlin's now shared room. It seemed as though she read his mind, because Merlin wanted to have a private chat with Gaius at that very moment.

"You want me to share my room with a girl?!" he asked, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Well, what did you want me to do?" Gaius replied, "Do you want me to make her sleep in a box?"

"How are we supposed to get dressed? What about privacy?" Merlin said.

"I don't know, I'm sure you will figure it out." he answered, "Make her get out of the room while you undress, for example."

"Gaius, this is just weird!" Merlin said.

"Well, you better live with it!" Gaius answered.

"Anyways, I should go back to Arthur." He said, "If Caitlin said he's already out of bed, he's going to be in a bad mood soon..."

"Good luck!" Gaius said, as he closed the door behind him.

Merlin went to the throne room, where Arthur was sitting on a giant chair, encrusted with gold and rubies.

"Ah, there you are Merlin." He said, exasperatedly, "You're a bit earlier than usual."

"Yeah, I had a tip-off you were already up." he answered, "You seem miserable."

"Well, can you blame me?" he said, "I hate fighting with Guinevere."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just told us why you're acting like this?" Merlin asked.

"No, it wouldn't." said the king, "I seem to be a few men short for today's hunt."

Merlin could see he didn't want to get any further into the subject, so he went along: "You know that girl I was telling you about earlier today, Caitlin, she's a really good huntress. Maybe she could come along?"

"You want me to bring a girl to the hunt?" Arthur said in disbelief.

"Believe me when I tell you you're not half as shocked as I was when I found out I was to share my room with her." Merlin said, smiling. That seemed to have worked, as the handsome king laughed. "You're sharing a room with a girl! Now don't go and become a bad boy, Merlin!" he winked. Merlin flushed with outrage.

"So, can she come?" he said impatiently. "Stop laughing!"

"Yes, yes, she can come." Arthur said, "Ah, I really needed a laugh. Almost forgot about..." he stopped dead, "Alright Merlin, you can go tell her now."

"But, you didn't tell me what to do for the day..." Merlin replied.

"Well, the rooms are clean, the stables are empty of dung, I'm dressed." he said.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that..." Merlin said, "How did you manage to get dressed?"

"You know Merlin, I'm not a complete idiot." Arthur said.

"Well, that's not according to what Gaius told me." Merlin said, smiling at the look of terror in Arthur's face.

"He told you?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Oh yes." Merlin replied. " 'It's Guinevere's night dress.' Brilliant! Oh and 'I want Merlin back where is he?' "

"Wait, I said that to Guinevere!" Arthur said, "She told you too?!"

"Oh yes." Merlin said. "But don't worry, I'm not using that against you, after all, I _was _missing. Saving your neck again..."

"OK, Merlin, whatever." Arthur said, "Now go and tell your girlfriend she can come."

"She's not my girlfriend." Merlin mumbled, going through the door.

"So?" Came Gwen's voice from behind him. "Did he say anything?"

"Gwen! You scared me to death!" Merlin jumped. "And no, he didn't say anything. He was about to at a moment, but then he caught himself up."

"Well, that's definitely something!" she said cheerfully, "Continue like that, Merlin, and he'll soon give it up!"

"Gwen, don't you think it's a bit intrusive, what you're doing?" Merlin asked.

"Huh?" Gwen said, "He's my husband, he's not supposed to keep secrets from me! And he isn't happy having a child, Merlin." She started to cry. "I mean... can't you imagine how I must feel? My own husband... dreading having a child... with _me_... and not telling me why!"

"I'm really sorry Gwen," said Merlin, "I didn't realize... If only I could be more available for you to be able to talk to. But you need a girl who understands women feelings, not me..." And there, a brilliant light erupted in his head. "Gwen, you're still looking for a servant since Sefa left, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," said the queen, "But I can't find anyone."

"I did! There is this girl, Caitlin, she lives with Gaius and I now, and she's looking for a job, from what Gaius told me."

"Well, that's great, Merlin! Let her see me in my room before noon." she said.

"Oh, can't. She's coming with us to the hunt." he said "Well, as soon as I tell her she is..."

"Well, don't keep a lady waiting." she said, smiling. "I'll see her when you come back then."

"OK, bye." Merlin said, smiling.

He went back upstairs, no one was in the antechamber, so he got in his room. There sat Caitlin, staring through the window at the great town of Camelot. She was rubbing unconsciously a mark on her arm.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked. She turned on the spot.

"What?! Oh, Merlin you startled me!" she said. "So, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." he said, "Guess what, I talked Arthur into allowing you in the hunt!"

"Oh, Merlin thank you!" she said, beaming.

"And the queen wants to see you later to see if you're up to the job." he added.

"Wait, what job?" she asked, completely bewildered.

"Oh, she's been looking for a servant for a while," he answered, "and when I told her you were about to start searching for a job -Gaius told me-, she said she'd love to have you!"

She jumped at him and hugged him, squealing "Oh Merlin, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"We better get going," he said, " because the hunt starts soon!"

"Alright." she said, still beaming as they broke off. Now, Merlin could see the mark on her arm clearly. It was rather small, bright, yellowish, as though it broke off her white skin, the shape of two symmetric wings right under a circle.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing towards it.

"Hm?" she answered, "Oh, it's just a birth mark."

"Strange..." he said, "I've never seen anything like it..."

"Well, like I said," she replied, "just a birth mark."

"If you say so..." said Merlin, "Shall we?"

"Let's go!" she replied, still smiling.

They went out of the castle, and joined Arthur and a few of his knights, including sirs Gwaine, Percival and Leon. All four of them were carrying crossbows and arrows.

"You don't seem to like hunting very much, Merlin" Caitlin pointed out.

"Well, that's because I don't really hunt." he replied, "I usually just carry the arrow reserve and a few spears in case there's a big dangerous creature and no time to load the arrows. Besides, I don't enjoy killing small defenseless creatures."

"And you're right, me neither." she replied. "I just take what I need, nothing more."

"Alright," said Arthur, "Everyone ready? Let's go!"

"Excuse me, sire." said Caitlin, "But what am I supposed to do?"

"Ah, you must be Caitlin." replied Arthur, "Yes, Merlin told me you were good. You can take a crossbow from over here. The arrows are with Merlin."

"Thank you!" she said, happily heading towards the lot of weapons. Merlin went and joined the knights and the king.

"Good catch, she's really pretty." said Gwaine, elbowing him in the ribs.

"No, we're just friends!" said Merlin

"Well of course you are." said Percival, "I mean come on, Gwaine. Merlin, going out with her?"

"There's no way!" said Arthur, "She's totally out of his league!" They all laughed except for Merlin, who felt irritated.

"Well, actually," came Caitlin's voice from behind them, "I'm out of all your leagues, except for Merlin." They all laughed, including Merlin.

They started marching down towards the forest, the happy feeling in the air stronger than ever.

"Whatever you do, Merlin, don't mess it up, because she's a keeper!" Arthur whispered in his ears.

"We. Are. Not. Together!" said Merlin, flushing.

"Of course you're not." he said, laughing. "But you want to, don't you?"

"No." he said. Or did he? It was true that Merlin felt quite weird when she hugged him earlier, and he did feel elated when she defended him against the knights.

"Ah well." said Arthur, "You won't be upset if Gwaine flirted with her, then."

"_No_!" he lied.

Caitlin joined them up, after they heard her laugh with the nights behind.

"I like your knights." she said, "They're really funny!"

"Yeah well, what's a good hunt without a few laughs?" he said, smiling.

"Your smile isn't sincere." she said, out of nowhere, "Nor is your happiness."

"Excuse me?" he asked, taken aback.

"There's a secret you're hiding." she said, as though in a trance, "You're afraid of something... But you don't want to talk about it, so you're pretending to be happy."

"How did you...?" he asked.

"I could hear it in your voice." she interrupted, "And you're forcing yourself to be as usual, and that's sort of a giveaway..."

"But... no one else seemed to have noticed." he said.

"Yeah, she does that." said Merlin, "Makes you feel as though she can read your mind." All three of them fell in silence, under the laughs of the knights behind. Merlin noticed that Caitlin didn't seem offended from what he said.

"It's just that... I'm scared..." finally said Arthur.

"_Scared_? Scared of what?" asked Merlin.

"Shh!" they heard sir Leon hiss. Everybody fell silent. They heard a crack soon afterward. And then another, and another. Arthur gave a sign to get ready, and everyone lifted their bows.

There was a big red mass moving very quickly behind the trees. The knights put down their crossbows and armed themselves with their swords. Merlin passed a spear to Caitlin, and helped himself with one too. A great howl sounded from the red blur.

"Oh. My. God..." He heard one of the knights say. "It's a demon!"

And suddenly, a three-headed giant red dog the size of four horses jumped in front of them. Everyone raised their weapons and attacked the monster, but it appeared that each blow made him bigger, and each of its growls made it much more frightening. It knocked all the knights out with one single strike of the paw. Or was it even a paw? It looked more like a tree, with five swords attached to its extremities! One of the heads found Merlin and Caitlin, and then all three of them turned to face them. They started inspiring air. Caitlin grabbed Merlin's arm and yelled "RUN!"

They ran, faster and faster, but they narrowly avoided the huge fire coming out of the wolf's mouths. The hound started following them. Merlin tripped on a twig, but Caitlin only noticed when the dog stopped over Merlin's now uncontrollably shaking body.

How could his magic save him now? "MERLIN!" he heard her screech. _How could this be the end?_ he thought. Then he saw a bright light and there she was, right between the demonic creature and him.

She wasn't scared, but she wasn't smiling either. She looked furious, actually.

"Get. Away. From him!" she said, but the dog didn't move, he continued on growling.

"CAITLIN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Merlin screamed, "SAVE YOURSELF!"

But she didn't budge, neither did the hound. The three heads started to howl alarmingly.

Caitlin didn't move. Instead, she raised her right hand towards the sky and hummed something like a song, so that ice bolts and light came pouring down on the monster, which howled and suddenly vanished in a burst of fire, followed by a light mist.

"You have magic!" gasped Merlin.

She turned around towards him, looking both relieved and alarmed.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Are you hurt? Did it bite you or... or... or scratch you?"

"You have magic!" he repeated, astonished that she didn't care he knew.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can say I have magic, and so do you! So what?" she said quickly, "Now, did it get you? Are you bleeding from anywhere?"

"No I don't think s... hang on!" he said alarmingly, getting up, "I don't have magic!"

"Good." she sighed in relief, "It would've been disastrous if it did hurt you. Merlin I thought that by now you would've understood that I know it when someone lies to me. I knew you had magic the moment I saw that book in your room."

"Ugh so you know now. Oh, man! Gaius will eat me alive!" he said, then he realized something terrible. "The knights! The king!"

"What about them?" she asked.

"That... thing knocked them out with its paw!" he said, alarmed.

Her eyes had widen the moment he said that, and she ran towards the place where they left the men. Merlin followed, wondering how can a so fragile looking girl run so fast. They came upon a scene of total devastation: the trees were all burnt down, all the plants turned either ash-gray or blazing red. And there they were, four bodies lying on the ground, becoming redder and redder by the minute.

"What the hell?" said Merlin.

"Exactly." replied Caitlin. "Hell. That's what's happening to them." She bent down over one of the unrecognizable knights, and started muttering words in a language Merlin did not recognize. "They're being transformed into demons... but I don't know if I can... Oh whatever, stand back." she said, straightening herself up.

Merlin did as he was told. She spread her arms forwards, towards the now alarmingly twitching bodies, opened her mouth, smiled, and bliss fell.

Bliss was the right word. The most beautiful, heartwarming melody he had ever heard, transforming into light coming out of that beautiful mouth, making it's path towards the now relaxing men, reversing the horrible curse that's been induced to them, until it's been completely lifted.

And as suddenly as it came, the blissful sound disappeared. But the girl fell on all fours, panting. The strange mark on her arm was glowing like a star, and as its brightness was decreasing, so was Caitlin's crazy breathing, until they were both to their usual aspect. _What is this mark about? _Merlin thought

She got up again, beaming, turning her back on the resting bodies.

"I can't believe it!" she said, "I did it! I was accepted in!"

"How did you do that without any spells?" asked Merlin.

"Spells are just one way of using magic" she said, "Music makes it even easier to use. I don't usually need spells or music, but this was extremely difficult, so I had no choice."

"I don't usually need spells either." he said. "When will they wake up?"

"They won't." she said, "Unless I wake them up. We can take our time then to get them all to the castle. Lifting spell, Merlin?" she smiled.

"Oh, yes!" he said, happy to finally use magic in front of someone. _Fly!_ He thought. His eyes turned a brilliant brown for a moment and the lifeless bodies of Arthur, Gwaine, Leon and Percival took off, floating at about waist length.

Caitlin packed all of the weapons, and they marched away, until they reached the edge of the forest. There, they stopped the hover charms so that no one sees them, but used a strengthening charm instead, and carried the men. Merlin had Gwaine and Arthur, and Caitlin had Percival and Leon.

"How come your birth mark illuminated when you made that melody?" Merlin asked.

"Same principle as how your eyes flash when you use a spell." She responded.

"Oh, OK." he said, "So, what are we going to tell them when they wake up?"

"I can't lie," she answered, "So I'll just be able to tell the truth, without mentioning the magic bit. That will be your part."

"Why can't you lie?" he asked.

"I don't like to." she answered, "Besides, I'm horrible at it..."


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at the outskirts of the castle, where the guards spotted them.

"Well don't just stand there!" bellowed Merlin, "Help us take the king and the knights to Gaius!"

Two guards came over and took one man each, leaving Merlin carrying Arthur, and Caitlin Leon.

They went up to Gaius's study and deposited the unconscious people on several beds.

"What happened?" asked Gaius.

"Thank you." said Caitlin to the guards, "Please let the queen know what happened."

The two men bowed and went out.

"I love it how they never ask questions." Merlin said.

"Will you two tell me what happened or do I need to learn how to read minds?" said Gaius, angry they ignored him.

"We were hunting, Gaius," said Caitlin, "and... Cerberus, the guard of the gates of hell, attacked."

"So must I take it from the fact that you're all alive and not demons that you used magic?" He asked them.

"Yes." said Merlin. "I did." _Maybe Gaius shouldn't know about Caitlin._

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin!" said Gaius, "I was talking to Caitlin. You don't have the knowledge to escape Cerberus."

"You know?!" said both Caitlin and Merlin at the same time.

"Well of course I know!" said Gaius, "Your father wouldn't have sent you to me without telling me all about you!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?" asked Merlin.

But Gaius smiled and said "I wanted you to discover it yourself."

"I don't want to interrupt your conversation about me," said Caitlin, "but I think I should awaken them."

"Oh, yeah." they both said. She turned around, raised her hands, and the knights and king started to awaken.

Then, realizing what was going on, Arthur said "What happened? Where's the dog?"

And so, Caitlin told them everything, with Merlin intervening to make it look as though Caitlin threw a spear on the creature to kill it, and it vanished.

"Quite funny, actually," said Merlin, "how four knights weren't able to defeat it, when a girl could."

The knights stared at both of them in disbelief, until the door opened wide with a panicked Gwen running through it, sobbing "Where is he? He isn't hurt? Oh Arthur, I was so scared!" he smiled, and she kissed him.

"Glad we're not fighting anymore." he said, "It's all thanks to Caitlin here we're still alive." He pointed towards her.

"Yes, Merlin told me about you," said Gwen, "How can we ever thank you enough?! Oh, yes, he said you were looking for a job. Would you want to become my servant? You'd be working with Merlin most of the time."

"I'd love to, my lady!" she said, positively beaming.

"Great," said Gwen, "You'll start tomorrow. Come the same time as Merlin does."

"Alright, thank you!" she said.

"So, Gaius, can we leave?" asked Gwaine. "I'm really hungry."

"Yes, yes, you can leave." said Gaius.

"I'll start making you dinner, then, since we missed lunch." said Merlin to Arthur, as the knights stood up and exited the room.

"But it's strange, very strange indeed..." Merlin heard Gaius whisper.

"What's strange?" he asked.

"Well, I thought that was obvious!" answered Gaius.

"You're wondering what was Cerberus doing in the forest, aren't you?" asked Caitlin.

Again, Merlin had the impression she could read minds.

"As a matter of fact," he said, "I am. Why did the hound leave his post of hell guardian to go wandering around in the forest?"

"Well, he _is_ the gatekeeper." said Merlin, "Perhaps someone escaped?"

"No, that's not possible." replied Caitlin, "It's impossible to get past the gates without simply burning, whatever protection you use. And besides, if someone did manage, Cerberus would alert his master and stay at his post. No... someone must have had authorization from the Devil himself to be able to summon him... And mind you, Satan is not so keen on sharing... Perhaps he saw benefit? Or perhaps he sent the monster himself?" She seemed to be talking more to her necklace in her hand than to them.

_She's talking to herself._ Merlin thought, _But how does she know all this?_

"But why?" she continued, "Why _was_ he sent?"

"I didn't realize you knew so much about hell." he looked at her in suspicion.

"Hmm?" She looked at him in surprise. It was as though she forgot they were there.

"It's basic knowledge, from where I come from." she said.

"That's enough!" said Gaius. "I don't want you to discuss things like that!"

Merlin stared at Gaius, surprised by his reaction.

"Of course, sorry Gaius." Caitlin said. "Well, I better go and er, pray." She went to her room and soon enough they heard bits of words like "Lord" or "Father".

"She sure is fond of her religion." noticed Merlin.

"That was obvious, I think, from her necklace." Gaius replied.

"Yeah." Merlin said, "What the hell is wrong with you? What did you stop her for?"

"I don't want people talking casually about things like hell and the Devil around me!" he said, "No matter how the situation looks like!" he added, as Merlin opened his mouth to speak.

"Fine, then." he said, "I better go and start preparing Arthur's dinner."

He went down to the kitchens, took what the cook had prepared (roast chicken and potatoes with sauce), and went back up to the dining room. There sat Arthur, talking conversationally with Gwen. "Here you are, my lord." he said.

"Ah, thank you Merlin." Arthur said. "Are you sure you don't want to eat, Guinevere?"

"Yes, I'm sure." she replied, "I ate too much for lunch. Ah Merlin, can I talk to you in private?" Merlin guessed at what she was going to ask, "Yeah, sure."

"Why do you have to talk in private with _Merlin_?" said Arthur, surprised.

"None of your concern, my dear." she replied. He stared at her for a bit, then shrugged and started to eat. Merlin and Gwen got out of the room,and Gwen closed the door.

"So?" she started, "Anything new?"

"As a matter of fact," he said, "yes. It's mostly thanks to Caitlin, actually. He made it clear that he was scared about something. But that's it."

"Scared?" she said, "Him? Scared of what?"

"I don't know..." he answered, "We were attacked almost directly after that."

"Alright, thank you Merlin." she said, "I'll tell Arthur I've dismissed you."

"OK." Merlin said, "Good night." He turned back and headed towards his room. Before he opened the door, he heard Caitlin's voice. She was talking to someone, but who? He pressed his ear against the door.

"But how?" he heard her say, "Who? What aren't you telling me? Alright, alright! I'll be patient... Merlin you're a horrible spy, you know that?"

"How did you..." he said, opening the door. "Who were you talking to?"

"I heard your breathing." she said, "And I was praying."

"Oh." he said, "Sorry... I'll let you go on."

"That's OK, " she said, "I finished, anyways."

"Right." he said, "I'll go to sleep then..."

"OK," she said, "I'll be in the forest." she headed towards the door.

"But it's dark outside!" Merlin stopped her, "And what will you be doing in the forest?" She looked out of the window and smiled.

"You may be scared of the forest at night," she answered, "but I'm not. I want to see if Cerberus left any hints. Or if he's still there."

"But you killed him, didn't you?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Demons can re-spawn." she said.

"You want me to come with you?" he asked.

"No thanks," she answered, "you just told me you were going to sleep. Don't hold on my account." she smiled. He noticed her birth mark was alight.

"Well, if you're sure..." he said.

"I am, thanks. Goodnight." she said, then she turned around and left.

_She wasn't praying._ He thought._ She was talking to someone. I heard her say 'What are you not telling me?' And she must have been using magic, because her mark is shining... What is this mark all about anyways? And how come she knows so much about hell and demons? I better investigate..._

And without any further delay, he went out of the castle grounds, hurried throughout the forest, until he got to a clearing, on the top of a smooth hill.

"_O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!_" he yelled at the sky.

Soon enough, a great shadow covered the land, hiding the moon and stars, and a giant form landed. It was the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah.

"You have summoned me, great warlock." he said in a great, mystifying voice.

"I did." Merlin said, "Strange things are happening, and the only one able to tell me what's happening is you."

"What is wrong, then?" asked the Dragon.

"There is this girl living with Gaius and I, now." he replied, "And she has magic."

Kilgharrah didn't move or speak, but looked intrigued.

"She has a very pale skin, and a very curious yellow mark on her arm." Merlin said.

"You know, young warlock," said the beautiful creature, "not all marks mean something. Perhaps it is just a regular boring birthmark."

"That's what I thought," said Merlin, "until I saw it glowing when she used magic. Twice I saw this. The first time was when - and this is another strange thing I want to talk to you about - she defeated Cerberus, the gatekeeper of Hell, and saved Arthur and the knights from becoming demons." The dragon frowned, "The second time was when she claimed to be praying."

"Cerberus?" he asked, "She has the knowledge and power to defeat a _demon_, and to stop a process that even the _Dragons_ can't handle? Yes, this is intriguing indeed... Tell me, what did that mark look like?"

"It looked like, erm..." said Merlin, "two perfectly symmetric wings, right under a circle." The dragon stared in disbelief.

"Are you sure of what you are saying?" he asked.

"Well, yes, I'm sure." answered Merlin.

"I have heard of such marks," said Kilgharrah, "but with just the wings, no circle... That would explain of course her knowledge to deal with demons, yes..."

"Well, don't leave me hanging!" said Merlin.

"Sorry, young warlock." said the Dragon, "Yes, I believe she bears the mark... of an angel." Merlin's jaw dropped.

"An _ANGEL?_" he said, in disbelief, "Come off it!"

"But I never heard of a circle included in the mark..." continued Kilgharrah, "Unless... unless it was a halo represented... perhaps... perhaps she is part of the Trinity..."

"What, the Triple Goddess?" asked Merlin, "Wait, no, she is just some made up thing from the Old Religion, isn't she? You don't mean the _Holy_ Trinity? Father, son..."

"No, great warlock, I don't mean any of them." said Kilgharrah, "But you are close. Very close indeed... I meant the Foretold Trinity... yes, that would make sense..."

"Erm, hello!" bellowed Merlin, "I'm waiting!"

"I'm sorry again, young warlock." said the Dragon, "The Foretold Trinity is made out of three angels, or should I say, the three most mentioned of the Seven Archangels. And those three archangels are known as Raphael, the healer and announcer, Gabriel, the messenger, and Michael, the leader of the army. The religions who believe in their _existence _are Judaism, Christianity, and sometime later, Islam. But not all of them, and the names vary."

"But that doesn't make sense," said Merlin, "her name is Caitlin!"

"Those are the symbolic names of the angels, Merlin." said Kilgharrah, "Just like when the druids call you Emrys. Their real names and forms may vary."

"So which one do you reckon she is, then? And what is she doing here?" he asked.

"Michael... I'm supposed to be Michael." came a voice from behind him. The Great Dragon lifted his head, and Merlin turned around, and stood, petrified.

"Caitlin!" said Merlin nervously, "Hi!" What else could he tell her?

"I was told of your greatness and wisdom," said the girl to the Dragon, "but I never dreamed you'd be able to figure it out!" she stared at him in admiration.

"It is an honor for me to meet with such an important creature!" said Kilgharrah.

"And as for what I'm doing here," she continued, turning to Merlin, "I can't say I really know it myself!" She laughed. "My Father told me to come here and not to ask him too many questions..."

"So you're not mad I was...-" Merlin began.

"Talking about me behind my back and thinking I had something to do with Cerberus?" interrupted the angel, "No, I'm not. I was expecting this, actually... It is in the nature of an angel to be forgiving, anyways."

"Oh, OK.", answered Merlin, "but...?-"

"It is also in the nature of an angel to _guess at _what the other is thinking." interrupted Caitlin, "We don't _read_ the mind, because we respect other people's privacy."

"I can sense that there is still doubt in you, young warlock." said the Dragon.

"Well, what if you are a demon impersonating an angel?" he told Caitlin.

"I believe I can answer that." said Kilgharrah to the pale girl, "A demon cannot stand being nice, Merlin. They would burn if they ever did, it is against their own nature. And I can see that she is wearing a cross on her necklace, which simply confirms it. Demons hate anything that has to do with or is the symbol of God."

"Oh, alright!" said Merlin, relieved, "Cool, I'm sharing my room with an angel!"

"Don't get any ideas, Merlin!" said Kilgharrah, smiling.

They laughed, and the Dragon said goodbye and flew away. They headed back towards the castle.

"I couldn't find anything about Cerberus..." she said, "Merlin, there is something you want to ask me, is that right?"

"Yes," he started, "If you _are_ an angel, how come you were so exhausted when I found you? And after you defeated that dog?"

"You _do _know this isn't my natural form, right?" she answered, "Taking a human form is exhausting, even for an angel, because that form disables me of using even one percent of my actual power... And right now I'm about ten times more powerful than all the sorcerers who ever lived united... so you can see how practically impossible it is for you to stop Cerberus, as it is tiring for even me... But I assure you, in my true form, I have the power to vanquish about a hundred demons at once."

"Yeah, I wondered," said Merlin, "because Kilgharrah told me Michael is the 'leader of the army'... But what army? And for what?"

"The army of angels, " she answered, "and to defeat the Devil, obviously... But that time is not now. It will only be time when my father tells Archangel... Raphael, d'you call him? to sound the horn of doom. And that time is not known to any of us, not even the Son, for only the Father knows."

"So," said Merlin, "when you talk about your father,..."

"Yes, I'm talking about my God." she interrupted. "And yes, Gaius knows, apparently..." They had arrived at the room. Gaius was asleep in his study.

"So..." hesitated Merlin, "Are you changing first?"

"Hmm?" she said, "Oh I don't need..." she snapped her fingers, and her clothes changed automatically to a night-dress. "There." she smiled.

"Wow!" he gasped, "Can you teach me that?"

"It's kind of easy." she said, "Just think of your clothes changing into something else."

Merlin concentrated a bit, closed his eyes and thought _Change._ He felt a strange sensation of air, and then he heard the angel say "_OH_!" in a shocked voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked, opening his eyes, to her back.

"You're not wearing anything!" she said, laughing. His eyes widened and he took a book from Gaius's desk, and covered his private parts with it.

"GAH!" he shrieked, "What happened?!"

"Merlin, you thought more about your clothes vanishing than about your other clothes appearing!" she said, "Here, let me!" She waved her hand towards him without turning to face him, and almost immediately he was wearing the clothes he had on before. "Try again!" she said, still laughing, "I'll have my back turned this time!"

He concentrated again, and thought _Change_. Again, the same weird sensation, but it stopped, unlike before.

"Well, at least I'm wearing something now!" he said. She turned around and exploded with laughter, finally dropping down on all four. Her shrieks woke Gaius who strode in, puzzled. And, looking up at Merlin, he tried to suppress a laugh but failed miserably, as he burst out laughing, his eyes threatening to fall out of their small sockets. Merlin smiled bitterly.

"All right, I get it, it's funny, geez!" he said, "Now stop laughing!"

"It's not funny, Merlin!" shrieked Gaius, "It's bloody brilliant! But where did you get a chicken- and frog-patterned dress from?!"

"It's not mine!" he said, "It must belong to some crazy git! The cook, I'd say!"

"Alright, alright, I'll send it back!" Caitlin said, still laughing, waving her hand again. But this time he was directly changed to his pajamas. "Not that it was missed! Ah the look on their face if they were actually wearing this thing at the moment!" she added.

"I'm going to bed." he said, grudgingly.

"Oh come on Merlin," said Gaius, "we're sorry we laughed!"

"Good night." he answered stiffly. Then he got in his room and fell on his bed.

"Right, I think I better go too." he heard Caitlin say, "I hope we didn't hurt him too much... Oh, and he knows."

"Knows?" he heard Gaius, "Knows what? Not that you're..."

"Yes, that I'm the third High Archangel." he heard the soft voice say.

"But... you weren't allowed to say that!" Gaius said.

"I know, but he asked the Dragon, who told him almost everything." she said, "I just filled in the blanks, to be honest."

"You told him why you're here?" he asked.

"No, because I don't even know it myself." she answered, "Now, as I was saying before, I should go now. I'm sorry for waking you up."

Merlin heard them both chuckle, clearly thinking of him wearing that dress. The door creaked open, and the angel's footsteps headed towards the other bed.

"Goodnight, Merlin. And you should really stop listening to other people's conversations." she said, "It is a bad habit of yours, you know..."

"What the...?!" he said, alarmed.

"I can hear people listening, too." she explained, before yawning and laying down. He was really tired now, and fell fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

About six months passed, faster than ever, with Arthur bossing Merlin around, Gwen and Caitlin becoming sort of friends, not to mention her constant reminder to Merlin about uncovering the truth behind Arthur's resentment. The warlock and the angel have been getting along quite well too, and now their friendship is stronger than ever.

"Merlin, wake up! Come on, wake up, we'll be late!" said a sweet voice.

Someone was shaking him, and a bright light was coming from the window towards his face. There was a very happy feeling in the air again, but he got used to it by now.

"Huh? What? Who?" he said, confused.

"Come on! Gaius made you breakfast, but dress faster, or... what the heck...!" Caitlin waved her hand and his clothes were instantly on.

"What's all the commotion about?!" asked Merlin, coming to his senses.

"It's late!" she said, "Come _on_!"

"Oh, yeah!" They got out of the room, Merlin marched towards his breakfast.

"Yukh!" said Merlin, "Can't _you_ cook from now on?"

"I heard that!"came Gaius's voice from somewhere far. But they both grinned.

"Alright, I'm finished." he finally said after a while.

"Excellent!" she said happily, "Shall we go?"

"Alright, then." he answered. They went down in silence until they reached the royal chambers.

"Good morning!" Merlin said, opening the doors. But the king and queen were already up. In fact, they were having a row again.

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW TO FEEL TOWARDS IT!" yelled Arthur.

"IT? _IT_?! HOW CAN YOU COMPARE HIM/HER TO AN ANIMAL OR A... A THING?! YOUR OWN CHILD!" replied Gwen, as loud as her husband.

"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS!" screamed Arthur defensively.

"SO YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE A CHILD WITH ME?" she shrieked.

"NO, I DON'T!" he bellowed "AND WHO TELLS ME I'M THE F..."

"_ENOUGH_!" everyone heard Caitlin yell.

"Excuse me?" said Arthur, clearly just noticing them. "How dare you...?"

"You were about to say something really terrible without even meaning it!" she said, looking as though she had been traumatized for life, "And you, my Lady! You're pregnant! You're not supposed to get that angry, it's bad for you _and_ the baby!"

Both of them stared at her as though she was a ghost. Merlin, used to her abnormal interventions, said nothing.

But the couple was really taken aback, for even Merlin, considered as their best friend, never had the cheek to tell them off like that.

"But of course... you're right... sorry..." they said together.

"Honestly, just like babies..." she muttered, furious now.

"Hey, don't push your luck." Arthur said bitterly, "Merlin, control your girlfriend!"

"And _you_," she continued, ignoring the nudge Merlin gave her, "I understand why you should be scared, but to go and intend to say something like that! Tactless!"

"Oh, so you think you can understand, do you?" asked Arthur. But Gwen started to seem to be very interested suddenly.

"Oh, I don't know," Caitlin replied sarcastically. It was the first time Merlin heard her talk like that. "Is it because you're scared of being an unsuccessful parent, scared that the queen might love the child more than you, scared that she might die when giving birth just like your mother, or all of the above?"

The king looked petrified. It was quite pitiful, really. He looked as though someone just stabbed him in the heart, then he fell on the chair behind him,and burst into tears.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" he sobbed.

"Is it really because of that, Arthur?" asked the queen, calming down. He nodded through his sobs.

"Nice job!" whispered Merlin to Caitlin, "I never saw him break down like that!"

"I do _not_ enjoy this." she said, still angry, but more to her necklace than to Merlin.

"Oh, Arthur!" gasped Gwen, "Everyone feels scared of not being a good father or mother eventually! And if I died, it would be to give you a _child_, can't you imagine it? Having a child? A child to be proud of when he makes his first steps, says his first word, and if it's a boy, swing his first sword?"

"But...I...don't...want...to...lose...you!" he said through each sob.

"And you won't!" replied Gwen, outraged, "We've got Gaius, and he's by far the best physician we've ever seen!"

"Besides," said Merlin, "try as you might, you're not getting rid of _her_ that easily. She loves you too much to die!" he managed to get a giggle from both of them.

"Look at me, crying like a silly child!" said Arthur, wiping tears off his face.

"Well, we'll put this behind us, won't we?" replied the queen.

"Yes." he sighed in relief, "I'm starving!"

"Always thinking about your stomach aren't you?" said Merlin, sneering, "We'll get breakfast." He gave Caitlin a nod, and they left.

"What was _that_ all about?!" he asked her as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just couldn't bear hearing what he was about to say, and I don't think the queen would've tolerated it either, even though he didn't mean what he was saying... And these situations make me really angry, too."

"Well, remind me to never make you mad, will you?" he said.

"Don't worry Merlin, I won't _eat_ you even if you did!" she answered, smiling, "But I could humiliate you in public, though..."

"A threatening angel..." he said, grinning too, "I like it!"

"Shut up!" she retorted, half annoyed, half amused, "Anyways, what does the queen like to eat?"

They had arrived at the kitchen, and Merlin was putting carelessly some food on a plate.

"Oh, anything really." he answered back, "Yep, I think that's about enough!"

"Alright." she said, carefully putting down some fruits and meat on her plate.

"Let's go, shall we?" he said. She grinned as a sign of approval and they strode off.

"What was Arthur going to say, anyways?" he asked.

"I don't think that you even want to know." she answered soberly.

"Try me." he said, grinning, "Oh come on, I won't tell!"

"Well, he _was_ going to say that he didn't think he was the baby's father..." she said.

"No!" he gasped in disbelief, "That's not the Arthur I know !"

"Anger and fear can bring out the worst in people..." she replied, "And I would know, I witnessed it for years and years."

"That makes me wonder..." he said, "You didn't tell me your...-"

"Age?" she interrupted, "Tactless, Merlin, you're completely tactless."

"What's tactless?" he asked. She gave an exasperated snort.

"You can't ask a woman how old she is! It's rude!" she said.

"Well, not unless you're an angel." he answered.

"Touché." she said, "But don't freak out!"

"Why? It's not like you're older than Kilgharrah!" he laughed.

"Well..." she said, "Let's just say that his lifespan is like a minute compared to how long I've lived..."

Merlin's jaw dropped.

"Nah, come off it!" he said, "You look way too young!"

"You seem to forget that I'm an Archangel, Merlin..." she replied.

"But... by that time, you would be...-" he started.

"As old as the Earth itself, yes." she interrupted, "Oh look, we're here!"

Sure enough, they were standing in front of the chamber's doors. They opened them, and the scene was completely different than before: Arthur and Gwen were both on the bed kissing passionately, obviously not noticing the servants enter.

Caitlin smiled and was on the verge of laughter. Merlin cleared his throat loudly, and they both looked up at them in surprise.

"We... brought your breakfast." he said.

"Oh," said Arthur, "right. Thank you Merlin."

"Arthur, did you forget Caitlin?" asked the queen.

"Oh, yeah." said the king while they settled down at the table, "Sorry, I'm still not used to having two servants... Thank you, Caitlin."

"You did more than just being our servant, Caitlin." said Gwen, "You saved our marriage!" She beamed at her.

"So I take it that you're not mad at me for speaking out of terms?" she asked.

"Not at all!" said both the king and queen at the same time. She smiled at them.

"I guess we'll clean up, then." said Merlin.

"Right you are!" said Arthur, "We'll go to the throne room."

The royal couple put their plates away and went out through the doors.

Merlin went into a closet and came back with a bucket full of soapy water and two mops. Caitlin took one and inserted it in the bucket, then took it back out and started cleaning the floor. Merlin did the same thing, but with much more lazy movements.

"How is it, where you're from?" he asked, "You never told me..."

"That's because you're not supposed to know." she answered, "We're not allowed to talk about it. But you'll know, sooner or later..."

"Oh, okay..." he said, now mopping a particularly difficult stain.

"But you never told me how it is where _you_ come from." she said.

"Oh, right..." he said, "Well it's a beautiful village, rather small, you know... It's always so peaceful there. We're surrounded by mountains. Extraordinary hills, so green during summer, so white during winter. Their forests are filled with every drop of life the Earth has to offer, and all of that surrounding my birthplace, Ealdor."

"It sounds wonderful!" she said, beaming, "And you sure seem to miss it there."

"I really do..." he said, "Sometimes I wish if I could just go there for a moment to say hello, you know..." a droplet of water fell out of his right eye, and hit the stain he was still trying to clean, "The last time I saw my mum was when we were being chased by Morgana's army, and it attacked some of the people there... I don't even know if she's still OK...", real tears were now streaming down his face...

"Oh Merlin I'm so sorry!" she said, her eyes reddening too, "If you want to, I can get you there right now! I'm usually good at teleporting."

"Tele... what?!" he said, abandoning the stubborn stain.

"Teleporting." she replied, "Instant transport from one place to another."

"You'd do that for me?" he asked. He felt suddenly so happy.

"Of course!" she smiled, "Now, grab my hand." he did as he was told, "Ready?"

He nodded, not believing what was happening. There was a sudden burst of light, and Merlin just got a glimpse of the doors opening before he realized he was standing in the middle of his own small house.

"We made it!" he said, "HAHA! WE MADE IT!" He didn't know what made him do it, nor how he did it, but he hugged the angel tight.

"Sorry, I didn't...-" he began, his eyes widening. She shook her head smiling.

"I liked it!" she said. He felt his insides squirm with delight. Did she like him the same way too? Was she... _hold on, don't think of that, she can know!_ He thought.

"WHO'S THERE?!" they heard a scared voice yell.

"Mum?!" Merlin asked to the door. _Don't cry, you'll look like a girl,_ he thought.

"Merlin?!" said the door. It opened suddenly, and a woman came hurriedly towards them. "Oh, Merlin it _is _you!"

"_Mum!_" Merlin cried, trotting towards her and hugging her. "Oh I was so worried ever since the last time I saw you! And I... I just couldn't come back because..."

"Shh, it's all right now." she said, "But how did you get here?!"

"It's all thanks to Caitlin here. She has magic, powerf... Caitlin, what's wrong?" he asked, as soon as he saw her absent-minded face. She stared at him.

"Merlin I... I think that the king saw us leave!" she said.

"WHAT?!" both he and his mother screamed.

"He... he opened the door the moment we disappeared." she continued.

Her necklace and mark started glowing, and she took her jewelry and put it in midair.

"Yes I know..." she told it, "But what about...oh... yes...so he won't be?... Good... And what should I do?... You're joking, right? In front of all these... Oh, yes I understand... Should I keep...?... So I shall wait?... Alright, thank you, my lord."

Her necklace stopped glowing as suddenly as when it began, and fell in the palm of her hand. Her mark was still alight, but it started to flicker.

"What was _that_ all about?" asked the worried mother.

"Sorry... I was talking to my father..." she said, "So you must be Merlin's mum!"

"You can call me Hunith." she answered, smiling faintly.

"Caitlin, what happened?" asked Merlin.

"Well, my lord told me what to do when we get back." she answered.

"Get back?!" asked Merlin, "We can't get back!"

"Oh yes we can!" said Caitlin, ignoring the mother's whimper, "For all that the king knows, I might've abducted you, so you're safe."

"Caitlin," said Merlin, "from what we just did moments before my mother came in, I think it's pretty clear that I care more about you than myself."

"Don't worry about me!" she answered.

"Merlin, you've found a girl?!" said Hunith, "Oh, my boy is all grown up!"

And tears came falling down her cheeks as she pinched her son's.

"_Mum!_" he growled, "Stop it! So when do we go back, Caitlin?"

"We can take our time..." she answered, "So you can wander around the village."

"Alright..." Merlin said, "Mum it was so good seeing you again!"

"What do you mean?" she asked, "You're not staying?"

"I'm going outside for a bit to see the village, but then I'll have to leave." he answered.

"Oh." she said, "Right then. Good bye." A tear filled her eye as she kissed him on the cheek. Merlin and Caitlin got out of the door on an alleyway.

"So, will you show me around?" asked Caitlin.

"What are you planning to do when we get back?" he asked, ignoring her.

"Everything has it's time, Merlin!" she answered, smiling, "Now, come on! I've never been in a rural part of this world, I want to visit it!" she held his hand and pulled him onto a large path, from where they could see almost the entire village.

Her skin was soft under his fingers. A unique, completely new sensation. A shiver ran through his entire body and he suddenly felt his hands become clammy and his heart speed up in his chest. This was truly...

"MONSTER! MONSTER IN THE FOREST!" screamed a voice from behind.

"What?!" he heard Caitlin say, after she let go of him. _Oh, come on!_ he thought. But he could clearly see a dark ascending cloud coming out of the top of the trees.

"What is it?!" the angel and he asked the woman who alerted everyone.

"Oh... hello, Merlin... didn't know... you... visiting... It... it looked like a... a... a red goat-woman!" she said, out of breath.

Merlin and Caitlin stared at each other with wide fearful eyes and both ran automatically towards the rising dark smoke.


	5. Chapter 5

"Succubus..." whispered Caitlin, "Why here?"

"You know what that thing is?" asked Merlin.

"I think that might be a succubus..." she said, "A female demon." she added to Merlin's inquiring look.

"OK... so is it bad?" he asked.

"Very." she added, "Not dangerous bad, though. Succubi don't have special powers, they just seduce people and 'mate' with them. But it means that this is the second time a demon directly interfered with the mortal world... while we were both there, too. So it can't be a coincidence."

"What d'you reckon she wants, then?" asked Merlin.

"You tell _me_." she answered, "Father won't tell me a thing..."

"We must be getting close..." he said, "I can smell burning wood."

"Something moved over there!" she hissed.

The bushes from where she was pointing were moving, and a lock of birds flew out of the way. A fire-ball blasted its way through the bush over Merlin's head.

"COME TO ME, DEAR HUSSY!" they heard an unearthly voice screech.

"I know that voice!" said Caitlin out loud, "Sekhmet!"

"What's that?" asked Merlin.

"That is my _name_ you most-probably-unwanted idiot!" yelled the voice from the bush, although getting stronger, "Well done, wannabe angel, I didn't know you _cared _enough to bear it in that empty head of yours!" Caitlin laughed.

"Still using insults to mask your insecurity, I see!" she said, "You demons are all the same..."

The cackle from behind the bushes stopped, and a most horrifying creature came out of it. It had a woman's body, but with red skin and huge goat horns on top of its flaming head, as well as a long bloody tail, just like a donkey's. It bore an expression of deep loathing.

"Will you tell me who this... thing is?!" asked Merlin, disgusted.

"Careful what you say, dung-head!" snapped the succubus, "You don't want me to _burn_ that revolting face of yours!"

"As if you'll dare and try in front of me!" retorted the angel, "This, Merlin, used to be one of my soldiers, until she went to the dark side."

"Wait, angels can become demons?" asked Merlin.

"Ooh, not so stupid after all, are we?" said Sekhmet.

"Shut up!" said Caitlin, "What are you doing here?"

"Why so direct?" giggled the demon, "I thought those wussy angels were supposed to be patient! Or perhaps, are you becoming more like us?"

"Tell me. Now!" said the archangel.

"Now, now, let's not spoil the fun!"said Sekhmet, sneering, "You'll have your turn!"

But Merlin had an idea. She was angry when he mentioned her ugliness...

"Um, Caitlin, how is _that_ thing supposed to seduce men?" he asked aloud.

She stared at him in surprise. He winked, and she caught on.

"I don't know!" she said, "I mean the most powerful spell in the _world_ wouldn't be able to fix _that_!"

"Are you asking for it?" said the annoyed succubus.

"I'm begging for it! Who's going to give it to me?!" answered the angel, smiling.

This was the first time ever that Merlin saw her behave like this, she wore a voice of pure loathing, pity, and mockery all at once.

The demon summoned a huge ball of fire out of thin air and aimed it at Caitlin, who stopped it lazily, making it go in reverse. It dissected into seven glowing chains, binding the succubus instantly.

"As though you stood a chance", said the angel,"Now, will you answer me?"

"And what fun would that be?" answered Sekhmet laughing, "Bye-bye! Oh, and don't bother looking for me, I wouldn't want your cow face staring at me again!" and she disappeared, leaving behind her a short echo of giggles.

"How can _that_ thing have the nerve say that _you_ have a cow face?!" asked Merlin.

"Merlin, it's cute that you're trying to defend me, but please get the big picture!" said Caitlin exasperatedly, although slightly amused.

"And what would it be, other than another demon crashing into another forest, while we were both there, again?" he asked, smiling.

"I don't know... but why was it Sekhmet?" she asked, "I mean to say, she's weaker than _you_ mortals... No offense!"

"None taken..." said Merlin, "So I guess you're sticking with the fact that someone is sending them here?"

"Yes, I am..." answered the angel, "Especially because they were in broad daylight, too... demons hate being seen."

They went back up to the village, and told everyone (well, Merlin did...) that it was just a boring normal fire and that the monster the woman saw was a burning sheep.

"Merlin, you know you can't lie to me!" said Hunith once they were alone in her house, "I know poor Tom's mother like the back of my hand, and she would never alert the entire village on some hallucination she had!"

"Fine! Fine! I'll tell you!" he said, "That thing Matilda saw was a demon."

"A... a demon?!" she gasped, "Oh I need to sit down... But how did you...-?"

"It was Caitlin who did it." said Merlin. He surprised himself, for he sounded exactly like the angel usually does. He looked up at her and saw that she was smiling at him.

"_You_ vanquished a _demon_?!" said Hunith, turning to Caitlin, "But you look so pale and... thin and... and weak!" Merlin burst out laughing at that statement.

"Careful mum," said Merlin, still laughing, "you're insulting an angel!"

"Merlin dear," said Hunith, "I know you like her but don't start flirting in a moment like this!" Both Merlin and Caitlin giggled, staring into each other's eyes.

"No, Merlin meant that I'm an _actual_ angel!" she said, still laughing.

"Blimey..." she whispered, "This is too much for me... I... I need to go get some fresh air..." She stood up and ran past the door.

"What the hell's wrong with _her_?!" bellowed Merlin.

"Now Merlin, don't pretend this didn't give you a shock when _you_ found out!" she said, smiling.

"What's more of a shock to me is that you looked so... full of hatred back in the forest." he said, now realizing how out of character that was.

"Come on Merlin, I know you were about to say devilish!" she said, moving chairs and sitting next to him.

"Well, I didn't think it was appropriate to call an _arch_angel devilish." he answered.

"It would be, if she was in front of a demon." she said, "There's a natural bond between us, we can't help but despise each other."

"Still, you looked hysterical!" he said.

"Well, I _can_ get over-emotional, you know." she answered, laughing, "But yes, I guess I was a bit crazy."

"But why? I mean, even if there's this weird hatred thing, which I totally understand... the moment she called you a cow..." he asked. _Wow, that was cheesy..._

"Because she used to be my best friend until she became bad... I hated her ever since... And I really hate hating, you know..." she answered, "And yes, it was a bit cheesy, but that's why I like you!" He felt his insides squirm.

"You're _best friend_!" he said, "But how can an angel become a demon?!"

"All demons are fallen angels..." she answered, "It's one extremity or the other, either you become really evil or you become very good, we can't become neutral, because this place is reserved for the humans. And when they grow up until they physically die, they choose where they want to stand."

"I just wanted to know how she became a demon..." he said.

"Oh, that's easy!" she answered, "She had a not-so-nice thought towards someone other than a demon, and you can't have that on an angel, so she instantly became one!"

"That's how it happened?!" said Merlin, "Wow, you weren't joking when you said it's one of the extremities..."

"Well, I think we should go..." she said.

"Alright." he said, "That reminds me, what will you do? Arthur will kill you!"

"All in good time, Merlin!" she answered, "Wow, now I understand why my father doesn't tell me anything about what's going on... Well anyways, ready?"

"Yup! Just writing a note for mum! Oh, and thank you for bringing me here!" he said.

"Don't mention it!" she said, "Alright, hold my hand."

"What?!" he said, "Oh, right. I thought... Never mind..."

"No, no, you thought right." she said, smiling, "It's for both reasons,actually." he felt his heart jump.

"You mean...?" he asked.

"Yes, I do." she said, "And I know you do too, it's pretty obvious..."

But at this point, he stopped listening, he couldn't hear a word anymore, he was way beyond elation, he felt like heaven!

Their faces were just inches from each other, he could feel her hot breath, his arms entangling her waist, her magnificent blue eyes closing their lids, as he got even closer to her.

The most amazing sensation, her mouth was so warm, the caress of her lips softer than he could have ever imagined. He felt as though she was filling him with light, bright, white, warm light, wiping away every single worry from his mind.

They broke off, making him realize what they had done.

"But... are you... allowed?" asked Merlin, "I mean... you're an angel, and...-"

"Yes, Merlin, of course I'm allowed." answered Caitlin, "And you're an amazing kisser!"

"Not as great as you are!" he said, beaming at her. She flushed and smiled.

"I... I think we should go now." she said.

Merlin grabbed her hand and they were already standing in the royal chambers they left about an hour ago.

"Seize her." said an exhausted voice behind them.

They turned around and saw two guards coming towards them, Arthur behind them, looking both grievous and relieved.

"Merlin, whatever you do, don't let them think you knew about my magic." whispered Caitlin, "I'll see you in my cell."

"What?!" said Merlin, terrified, "You're letting them take you?"

"Yes." she answered, "See ya later!"

The guards took hold of her, but she didn't put up a fight. They brought her all the way down to the throne room, with Merlin and Arthur behind them, not saying a word to each other. This was a nightmare. He had kissed her just mere seconds before!

The room was filled with knights, counselors and guards, watching, waiting.

"Do you know why you're here?" asked Arthur to the surprisingly calm girl.

"Because I used magic." she answered, smiling. _Smiling?!_

"So you admit it?" he asked, "You take full responsibility of your actions?"

"Yes, I used magic..." she said, "I accept any punishment for it."

"Well, that was easy!" said Arthur, "Did you know about it?" he faced Merlin.

Merlin looked at Caitlin shaking her head, and said "No."

"What is a sorcerer like you doing in Camelot?" asked the king, "Is it Morgana who sent you here?"

"No." asked the angel, "Just because I have magic doesn't mean I am necessarily evil, you know."

"Fine then." said the king, "By the laws of Camelot you are sentenced... to decapitation. You will be executed tomorrow at dawn."

"My lord, isn't this a hard sentence?" asked Merlin, panicking, "After all, she didn't hurt anyone!"

"What are you talking about Merlin?" asked the king, "She abducted you!"

"Ha you should've seen him earlier!" whispered sir Gwaine, "'Where's my Merlin? I want my Merlin! My Merlin could be hurt! My Merlin could be anywhere by now!'"

"Gwaine, shut up!" said Arthur, "Take her away." he ordered the guards.

They lifted her up and took her down to the dungeons. She didn't say a word, and she was still beaming!

"Merlin I think you should leave." said the king.

"What? Why?" asked Merlin.

"Because you obviously like her and I don't want to listen to your suggestions about setting her free." he answered.

"Well, I was right the last time, wasn't I?" said Merlin, "Mordred ran away after you executed his friend and joined Morgana."

"If I didn't know any better, Merlin, I'd believe that you're thinking of doing the same thing." said Arthur, "Now go and get busy."

"You know, you keep saying that you're different from your father, but right now you're just showing that you're more like Uther than you thought." he answered.

"Now you sound like Morgana." said the king.

Merlin turned around and ran upstairs to his room.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" yelled Gaius as soon as he opened the door.

"Listen Gaius, I...-" Merlin started.

"HAVE YOU GOT ANY IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" he interrupted.

"Gaius, listen to me, I...-" Merlin tried to explain again.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU WENT OR WHAT YOU DID, BUT YOU...-" screamed Gaius.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Merlin, "SHUT! UP! I'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH THIS MORNING, AND I DON'T NEED _YOU_ TO START ON ME!"

He started crying. He didn't care about how pathetic he looked, he didn't care about how offended Gaius was, he didn't care about anything anymore.

"Sorry, Gaius..." he sobbed, "It's just that... it's not fair... she was helping _me_... and... and now she has to die for it!"

"No, Merlin, _I_'m sorry." said Gaius, sitting down next to him, "I should have known this was going to happen sooner or later... Sorry I yelled..."

"I'm going out..." said Merlin, wiping his tears, "I want to talk to her."

"But you just got here!" bellowed Gaius.

"I want to know what she was smiling for when Arthur sentenced her to death!" answered Merlin, "I mean it looked as though he gave her a treat!"

"Fine then." said Gaius, "Don't do anything stupid, Merlin."

"I won't!" he answered, passing the door, "Oh, and don't try to sound like Arthur."

He went down to the dungeons, looking cell after cell, until he found her.

She was sitting on the bed, humming and smiling!

"What _are_ you smiling at?!" asked Merlin, "You're sentenced to death!"

"Merlin!" she jumped out of her bed and pressed herself against the bars, "I was wondering when you'll come, but I didn't expect you this early."

"Yeah, Arthur doesn't need me right now..." he answered.

"Merlin, I know what you're thinking!" she said, "Don't even _think_ about breaking me out of here!"

"My God, she's out of her mind!" said one of the prisoners.

"Oh, would you rather die?" asked Merlin, "Maybe you do, but I don't."

"Merlin I thought we were close enough for you to understand that I'm not afraid of death. " answered Caitlin, "ISRAFIL! What are you doing here?!"

Just as she said that, a blinding light appeared out of nowhere, and a shining winged man came out of thin air. A powerful aura was emanating from him.

"What the?!" they heard the other prisoners yell.

"Hey there Caitlin!" said Israfil, "In trouble as usual, I see?"

"Merlin, this is Israfil, " she said, "It's Archangel Raphael to you."

"I wanted to see if you were ready. And I guess this is your boyfriend!" he said, staring at Merlin.

"Yup!" she answered, beaming, "Has the news spread _that_ fast?"

"Very." replied the winged man, "An angel kissing a mortal, this is the first time it happened! And it's not really nice speaking to you from behind bars..."

"Oh, yeah." she said, then disappeared and reappeared in front of them. "Sorry, I forgot..."

"You. Could. Have. Gotten. Out. All. This. Time. But. Didn't?!" said Merlin, fighting the urge to yell.

"Oh, I'm going back in!" she answered.

"WHAT?!" screamed Merlin. "DO YOU _WANT _TO DIE_?!_"

"You didn't tell him the plan?" asked Israfil.

"No, I was going to, just before you came." she answered.

"Plan? What plan? You've got a plan? Thank goodness!" asked Merlin, cheering up a bit.

"Before you explain, I have a message for you." said Israfil, turning towards Merlin,

" Great End should be on it's way,

Oh! Big war will be starting.

Dark Night should become Bright Day,

The army shall be waiting.

Should the Demons start the fight,

Let the Father hear your plight,

He will help you with his might."

"What?" asked Merlin.

"Why didn't father ask _me_ to deliver the message?" asked Caitlin.

"It's safer this way, with no telepathic interference." answered the other angel.

"Sorry, but can you explain the mambo-jumbo nonsense you just said?" asked Merlin.

"It's for you to figure out. Caitlin can help. Bye!" he replied, just before disappearing.

"Well, that was... something..." said Merlin, "Now, explain to me what you're planning."

"Are you ordering me Merlin?" asked the angel, amused.

"Yes!" answered Merlin, "I want to know what's going on!"

"Merlin, don't you think you're being a _little_ over-dramatic?" she said.

"OVER-DRAMATIC?!" yelled Merlin, "YOU ARE SENTENCED TO DEATH!"

"Oh alright!" she said, "But you won't like hearing this..."

"I'm ready." he answered.

"OK," she said, "so the plan is basically... let them kill me."

"That's it! I heard quite enough!" said Merlin, "You're crazy, and I will abduct you now." She smiled faintly.

"Merlin, there is a plan behind all this,you know." she answered.


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, I'm waiting!" he said, now feeling irritated.

"You forgot that I'm an _angel_." she answered, "I can't die."

"Oh... Yeah..." he said. He now felt as though a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

"They'll just destroy the body I'm in." she continued, "So basically, tomorrow, you'll get to see my true form."

"You will stay, though. Right?" he asked. But, to his horror, a tear dropped from the angel's smiling face. "_RIGHT_?!"

"Merlin you've got to know, there is a reason to why I'm letting them kill my physical self." she said, "I have to go back. You heard that seven-verse, seven-syllable poem Israfil gave, 'the army shall be waiting'. I need to go and train them because 'Big war will be starting'. You will have to contact Father when you see demon soldiers... Take my necklace, it will give you a more direct link than ordinary prayers. Just call him, by saying the first letter of the first three verses of the message, 'GOD'."

She gave him her necklace. He heard a whisper coming out of it for just a second, and felt light pour inside him.

"B-b-but... You mean that... that you're... you're actually leaving?" he asked, his eyes reddening alarmingly fast.

"Y-yes." she answered.

"But I... I... No!" he said, now crying, " Caitlin, _I love you_!"

She smiled, although her eyes were bright and red.

"I love you too, Merlin." she replied. And she gently put her lips on his own, giving him this flying sensation again, but he broke off.

"I don't want you to leave!" he said.

"I'm so sorry Merlin..." she said, "I hope we'll see each other again..."

"You never had the chance to teach me that clothes swapping spell..." he said.

She walked through her cell's bars, and sat on her bed.

"You should go..." she continued, "It's almost lunch time, the king must be waiting."

"To hell with the king!" answered Merlin, "After what he's going to do?"

"MERLIN!" she yelled, "Don't. Ever. Think. Like. That. This kind of thinking _will_ turn you bad, just like Morgana or this Mordred!"

"Sorry, I was just angry... I didn't mean..." he said.

"Yeah, well... That's how it all starts." she answered. "Now go!"

"Bye, then." he said.

He went up until he reached the royal chambers. He couldn't feel anything all the way. It was as though his whole body went numb after what just happened. He opened the doors.

"Arthur, are you sure you want to get through with this?" asked the queen.

"Guinevere, she has magic. She confessed it herself." answered Arthur.

It seemed that they did not notice Merlin entering.

"She hasn't hurt anyone! In fact she's been the sweetest person around!" she said, "You're forgetting she saved you all from that dog-monster-thing!"

"Who tells you she didn't bring it here in the first place so that she could get our trust?"

"For. _What?_" she asked, "If she were up to something evil, she had plenty of time to do it!"

"I don't know what gets into the mind of a sorcerer!" bellowed Arthur.

"Arthur, she's been my friend for six months." said Gwen, "I think I'd know her very well by now."

"And still you didn't know of her magic." answered the king.

"I don't think that's the kind of thing you'd say to someone who'll have your head for it." she said.

"She abducted Merlin!" he said.

"And he's fine!" she said, "Besides, you never asked _him_ what happened! As far as_ I_ know, he tried to defend her! Arthur, be in my position. What would you do if you discovered that Merlin had magic?"

"I... I don't know..." answered the king.

"Please Arthur, at least go and ask him what happened." she said.

"Good idea..." he answered, turning around, "Merlin! How long have you been here?!"

"I've been here the whole conversation..." Merlin said finally.

"All of it?!" asked Arthur, terrified, "Even the part when I was wondering if you and Caitlin had... you know..."

"What?" asked Merlin.

"Never mind, you didn't hear." answered Arthur, relieved.

Merlin gave an inquiring look to Gwen, who answered with a you-don't-want-to-know face.

"Right then..." continued the king, "What happened over there?"

"Well, we were working," said Merlin, "and started talking about where we lived. I told her about how I missed Ealdor, and she just took me there."

"That's it?" asked Arthur, "She exposed her magic for _this_?"

"Oh, I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand." said Merlin.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked the king.

"Nothing." answered Merlin.

"Arthur, that means that she used her magic for _good_." said Gwen.

"But she used magic!" answered Arthur.

"You are _hopeless_!" said the queen.

"Well, I suppose I can _think_ about it - but don't! Get your hopes up." he said.

"Thank you!" said both Merlin and Gwen.

"Again, don't get your hopes up." repeated Arthur.

Merlin felt his heart leap. This was too good to be true, it was like his guts and heart got free from a very hard knot.

"What shall I get you two for lunch, then?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry." said Gwen, "What about you?" she asked Arthur.

"Neither am I." he said, "Thank you Merlin, you can go, then."

"Alright..." answered Merlin.

"What is it?" asked the king, "You seem hesitant."

"Well, it's... Never-mind..." answered the servant.

"You think it's strange for me to skip lunch!" said Arthur.

"No, _NO!_" bellowed Merlin, "It's just... Well, yes, it's weird!"

"I _am not_ fat!" said the king.

"I never said that!" said Merlin, "It's just that I keep adding holes in your belt every few weeks..."

"Get out of here Merlin!" said Arthur.

Merlin closed the door, hearing Gwen's laugh and Arthur saying "It's not funny!".

He got back up to Gaius's study, where Gaius was waiting for him.

"So?" he asked.

"_So_, I've talked to her." answered Merlin, and he explained everything that happened in the dungeons and with Arthur.

"Well, this is good news." said Gaius, "Not only for her staying alive, but also because this would mean that magic will gain a huge step towards freedom!"

"I guess..." said Merlin.

"Hey Merlin, how are you doing?" said a voice.

"Huh?!" gasped Merlin.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" said Gaius.

"Didn't you hear it?" asked Merlin.

"Hear what?" asked the elderly man, "There's nobody here."

"But I could have sworn...-" began Merlin.

"He can't hear me, I'm talking to you through the necklace." said the voice, "It's a telepathic field."

"Who are you?" asked Merlin, talking to the necklace.

"Have you lost your mind?!" asked Gaius, "Who are you talking to?!"

"Hold the necklace in your hand and let Gaius touch it, too." said the voice.

"Hang on, Gaius." said Merlin, thrusting the necklace in his hands, joining them with Gaius's.

"I am Archangel Gabriel, the Messenger." said the voice, "Hang on, I think I can, AH, there you go!"

An illuminated winged man appeared in front of them, coming out of the necklace. But he wasn't really there. He didn't emanate the powerful aura Israfil did.

"Good thinking. I am not really here, I am... let us say in your minds." said the angel.

"That means that you can read our minds and know what we're thinking?" asked Gaius. The archangel smiled.

"Yes, I can, but I won't." he answered, "All angels can, but we respect your privacy."

"Why didn't you just appear here?" asked Merlin.

"I cannot leave my post at the moment, so I am recording this message to talk to you." said Gabriel.

"Alright then, why are you sending us this?" asked Merlin.

"If you are receiving this, it means that Caitlin is supposed to come back to us." said the image, "But plans have changed, and she will stay. Unlucky for us, we missed her."

"Hang on," said Merlin, "Why are you sending us this message like that, Israfil said it was risky!"

"This message is being sent carefully so that no demon can intercept it." said the angel, "Caitlin, I'm talking to you now, you know what to do to make the king change his mind. And by the way, Uriel is fulfilling your post as troop high leader, but she's just not as good as you are."

"I heard that!" said a voice. Merlin heard Caitlin's distant laughing, too.

"Whoops!" said Gabriel, "Oh and Merlin, take good care of her!" he winked.

"I am not a child!" came Caitlin's voice, "I am four and a half billion years old!"

"I am still five thousand years older than you!" said Gabriel.

"GABRIEL! I'M SPEAKING WITH YOU! Who are you talking to anyways?" said the same earlier voice.

"Uriel, not now! Alright, alright! It's Caitlin and her boyfriend, Merlin." said Gabriel.

"Ooh her boyfriend!" said Uriel, "This I got to see!" And a second angel appeared next to Gabriel.

"Hey Uriel." said Caitlin.

"Very cute!" said Uriel, "I'm jealous, Caitlin! I mean, look at those cheekbones! Oh and these hands! His arms! Father really does make beautiful creatures!"

Merlin flushed. She was really making him feel uncomfortable.

"Merlin," said Caitlin's voice, "this is Archangel Uriel, my sister and a horrible gossip."

"Oh, like_ you're_ so innocent!" said Uriel, "_You_ saw him naked! Lucky!"

"OK, I think that's enough." said Gabriel, "It was really good to see you again, Caitlin. Uriel come on, stop it!" And the images disappeared.

"She saw you naked?!" asked Gaius. "Boyfriend?!"

"Yes, the night you saw me in that dress." said Merlin, "I was trying a new spell... And boyfriend since this morning when we kissed at Ealdor."

"You... Is she even allowed?" asked Gaius, "I mean she's a Archangel, and you're just... well, you!"

"I'll pretend you never said that." said Merlin, "And yes, she's allowed."

"Well, then!" said Gaius, "Let's eat! I'm starving! Funny thing, I had a dream about eating a carrot that tasted like steak..."

"Now you sound like Gwaine!" giggled Merlin, "First Arthur, and now him... Gaius, you're spending too much time with the knights."

"Probably wouldn't need to if they stopped injuring themselves." said Gaius, "Here."

Gaius gave Merlin a bowl of stinking stew.

"Ugh!" said Merlin, "Did you boil your feet in this?!"

"Probably." said Gaius, "Now eat."

"Where's Caitlin when you need her?" said Merlin.

"I can still talk to you through the necklace, Merlin." said the angel's voice.

"Oh, Caitlin thank God!" said Merlin, "Can you do something about this?"

"I'm locked in a cell facing execution and you're asking me to cook?" asked Caitlin, appearing in front of them.

"Well," said Merlin, "Gabriel told us the plans have changed, Arthur said he'll probably release you, and you can't die either way."

"Touché." she said, "You're right, though, this _is_ horrifying!"

"I'm right here, you know!" said Gaius.

"Gaius, this isn't even food!" said Caitlin. "You're just pranking Merlin!"

"Darn you and your psychic powers!" said Gaius, laughing.

"Gaius, seriously, you're behaving like a child!" said Merlin, "And you're old enough to be my grand-father!"

"Well if that's all, I'll go now." said Caitlin.

"What? Can't you stay?" asked Merlin.

"They'll notice I'm gone." answered the angel, "Besides, I'm making friends with the prisoners, they're quite nice!" and she disappeared.

"Alright, Merlin, this is your actual food." said Gaius, handing him a plate of what looked like red beans.

"Much better, thank you." said Merlin. He dug in. Food was very welcome after what he's been through all day.

"So... Ealdor!" said Gaius "What happened there?"

"Ah..." answered Merlin, "I saw mum... And we found another demon... Used to be an angel..."

_"Another _demon?!" asked Gaius, "So this is what it's all about, then!"

"Why?" asked Merlin, "What's happening?"

"It means that the demons are up to something." explained the guardian, "And whatever it is, it can't be good."

"Why can't the angels destroy them already?" asked Merlin.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea." answered the elderly man.

"We can't do that because it would mean that we will have to take the Man's children with us, bringing them all to the Kingdom." came Caitlin's voice, "The day will come once the Father believes that the humans are ready. That day is most commonly known as the Apocalypse. No one knows of that time, not even the Son or the Spirit, for only the Father does."

"What, the end of the world?" asked Gaius, "So that's real?"

"It is." said Caitlin, "And I am in charge of training the angels to be ready for that day."

"Do you think that day is soon?" asked Merlin.

"After what's happening now..." answered the angel, "Probably... Yet no one can be sure until Israfil blows his horn."

"What will happen then?" asked the wizard.

"The Last Judgment." answered the necklace, "The separation of the wicked from the righteous. But let's not think of that now, Merlin, it really is depressing."

"Sure." he answered. "So, how are you doing down there?"

"Excellent!" she answered, "All the prisoners are happy and we're really getting along!"

"You're making friends with criminals?" asked Gaius.

"Just because someone did something bad doesn't necessarily make them evil, Gaius!" she answered, "As I understand it, yourself and Merlin have been in these cells more than once!"

They both smiled at that statement, reminiscing the times when they were helping the kingdom whilst getting in trouble for it.

"Anyways I've got to go." she continued, "Merlin I think you should stay with Arthur now."

"What? Why?" he asked. She chuckled.

"Spoilers!" said the sweet voice, "You'll find out how I'm making the king change his mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to sing. Bye!"

The necklace stopped glowing.

"Sing... I love that girl." said Merlin, "So I'm going. Bye Gaius."

"Bye Merlin." answered Gaius.

Night had already fallen, and the stars were shining brighter than ever in the sky.

Merlin went down to the throne room. There sat Arthur and Gwen, in conversation.

"Ah, Merlin!" said Gwen, "You're just in time, now you can back me up!"

"No," said Arthur, "he will back _me_ up!"

"What's happening _now_?" asked Merlin.

"Should the knights' capes be colored in blue or yellow?" asked the queen.

"Neither." answered Merlin, "They're perfect as they are..."

"Ha! I win!" said the king.

"Oh well..." said Gwen, "I was getting bored of the same red and gold all the time..."

"They're the colors of Camelot!" said Arthur, "One does not simply...- Yes?"

A guard came in, his metal boots making an echoing sound through the room.

"I am here to report the day's state of the prisoners' behavior and health." he said, "My lord, today was highly unusual, with the arrival of this new girl."

"Go on." said the king.

"Well," continued the guard, "she sings happy songs all the time. And what's even more strange, the other prisoners seem to have calmed down, too. They're cheerful every time she speaks. And when she sings, they sing along, as if they actually knew what she was about to say."

"Well, that's definitely weird..." said Arthur "How can they be cheerful down _there_?"

"That's not all, sire..." said the guard, "She can get out of her cell as many times as she wants to, going from one prisoner to the other, cheering them up, telling them everything's alright and things like that."

"What?!" said the king, "You were letting her get out?"

"Not at all sire!" said the guard, "She can pass through the bars like water!"

"Then why didn't she escape?" asked Arthur.

"She could've escaped whenever she wanted to, my lord, but every time she was done with someone she just went back to her cell!" said the guard.

"Thank you, you may go now." said Arthur.

The guard bowed and went away.

"Why would she do that, though?" asked the king.

"She's good by nature, she will never defy someone's authority." said Merlin.

"But still, if she has a chance to live..." said Arthur, "Why isn't she taking it?"

"Oh, Arthur!" said Gwen, "Would you just ask the girl?"

"Ask her..." said the king. "Yes, I think that's a good idea... Guards, go bring Caitlin."

Two armed men bowed and went through the door.


	7. Chapter 7

"You wanted to see me?" said Caitlin, smiling.

"Yes." said Arthur, "You are sentenced to death, yet you are still cheerful. Why?"

"Why should I be sad in the first place?" answered Caitlin.

"Aren't you scared?" he asked.

"If there's one thing I'm not afraid of, it's death." she answered.

"And why's that?" he asked.

"You people aren't scared of death." she answered, "You're scared of the unknown. But I'm not, because I know what's waiting for me."

"How can you know, then?" he asked.

"It is the whole purpose of my religion, my lord." she answered, "To believe without a doubt in the Kingdom of Heaven."

"OK, so we've got past that." said the king, "But why didn't you escape?"

"You mean like that?" she said, disappearing completely.

"What the?!" said the king, "She...-"

"Because the king sentenced me to death, and I must abide by his rules." she continued, coming back in through the doors. She started laughing.

"Oh, you should've seen your faces, it was priceless!" she said, "Hang on..."

A giant paper appeared in her hands. She unrolled it and made it float in the air. It was a perfect reproduction of the moment she disappeared. It looked like a painting, but it was too realistic to be one.

Indeed, Arthur's face was very shocked. Somewhere between snoring and hiccuping.

"BAHAHAHA I love this!" bellowed Merlin and Gwen.

"Stop it! It's not funny!" said Arthur.

"Don't worry, I'm burning it!" she said, a tear of laughter in her eye, while the paper burst into flames.

"How did..." said Arthur, "How did you do all that without using any spells?"

"I'm so good that I don't need any spells." she said, chuckling.

"Alright, so you're a _powerful_ sorcerer." he said, giving a reproachful look to Gwen.

"So?" she asked. "It doesn't mean she's dangerous!"

"Oh, I am dangerous alright." said Caitlin.

"Are you _asking_ for execution?" asked Gwen, "I'm trying to help you here!"

"Fire is helpful, though it is dangerous." she answered, "Water is good, though people drown in it. Light is excellent, though too much will make you blind."

"What's your point?" asked the king

"My point is that dangerous does not mean evil." she answered.

"Whatever." said Arthur.

"Ugh I don't like this word it's the most annoying one there is." she said.

"The prisoners, why are you helping them?" he continued.

"Well, they're all so depressed, I felt bad for them..." she answered.

"Arthur, can't you just see that she's the perfect incarnation of good?!" said Gwen, "She could've escaped but she didn't, she could've attacked but she didn't, what more do you need?!"

The king made a small moan, apparently trying to think of something to retaliate with.

"Why are you so determined to see evil in people?!" she finally asked.

He stared at her in shock, opening and shutting his mouth repeatedly, choking on his own words.

"It's not the fact that I'm good or bad that's bothering you, is it?" asked Caitlin, "It's more the fact that if you release me it would mean magic's tolerance once more."

"How did you..." began Arthur.

"Arthur, you're executing an innocent person for the sake of a stupid law?!" interrupted Gwen, looking disgusted.

"Stupid, is it?" said Arthur, "The sake of Camelot comes before one innocent life!"

"That's _so_ unlike you!" she said.

"What would you do if I told you _I_ had magic, then?" asked Merlin.

"Merlin, don't you even think of that!" he heard Caitlin's voice in his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin!" said Arthur. "If you were a sorcerer I would've known _ages_ ago!"

"You didn't answer the question." he said.

"Well that's because it's a stupid one!" answered the king.

"Then what's the stupid damn answer?" asked the queen.

"I... Well... yes, Merlin too!" said Arthur.

"Liar." said both Gwen and Caitlin.

"How would _you_ know?" he asked

"You like him too much!" said Gwen, "He's your best friend!"

"And I just know." said Caitlin, chuckling.

"Well, alright, I wouldn't do anything to you." he said to Merlin. His face was red and he was obviously annoyed.

"Glad to hear that, because...-" started Merlin.

"MERLIN, DONT!" yelled Caitlin's voice.

"Because?" asked the king.

"Because this is the same relationship between Gwen and Caitlin, and you don't want to destroy it." said Merlin.

"Yes, I'll murder you if you do." said the queen.

"This is talking treason, my queen." said Arthur.

"In your dreams." she said, kissing him.

After a while, Merlin got fed up of waiting and interrupted: "So?"

"Hmm?" said Arthur, "Oh yeah! I, um... guess you're free to go."

"If you say so, sire." said Caitlin.

Merlin was so emotionally moved... She doesn't have to leave anymore... This was really too good to be true...

He went for the girl and kissed her. A long, passionate kiss. They just stood there, sharing each other's lips, ignoring Arthur's "I knew it!" comment.

"Oh, and you passed the test." said Caitlin, once they broke off. "Wow... _That_ sounded cliché... Let's say... you got accepted."

"Test?" asked both Arthur and Merlin, "What test?"

"I'll explain later. You can come now, guys!" she said, talking to thin air.

Six illuminated blurs appeared, giving form to winged people, all of them emanating powerful auras.

"What the...?!" yelled the king and queen at the same time.

"We are the Seven Archangels." said the angel Merlin recognized as Gabriel.

"No, you're just six." said Arthur.

"Seriously?" asked Gwen, "Six winged people claiming to be _angels_ appear in front of you and _that's_ what you ask?"

"Yeah, I'm one too..." said Caitlin.

"You're an... but that's... what?!" said both Gwen and Arthur.

"Before you explain, we need to...-" began Israfil.

"Yes, you do that." said Caitlin.

The angels reached for their halos. They produced a blast of light, like a wave, in all directions. It felt so warm and welcoming, chasing away every negative thought. Several painful gasps were heard, and when the light was gone, they could see about a dozen red little goat-like creatures, immobile on the floor.

"Ugh, I hate imps!" said Israfil.

"What's happening?!" asked Arthur.

_Well, they seem to be taking it much better than I thought...I mean angels... and they are so calm... wow..._ thought Merlin.

"Alright, I can explain now!" said Caitlin, "But first, Uriel, Merlin's mine. Get away from him."

"Oh, come on, give me some credit!" said Uriel, "You're always treating me as if I was a succubus! I'm dating Gabriel!"

"Seriously?!" asked Caitlin, "When did that happen?!"

"About a month ago." said Gabriel, smiling.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you...-" she began.

"Not that I want to disturb your little party, but what the hell are you all doing here?!" yelled Arthur.

"Impatient this mortal, isn't he?" muttered one of the angels.

"I think he's taking the whole thing very well..." said the one next to him.

"Right, sorry!" said Caitlin, "So... explanations... yes! First things first: there are imps everywhere, we just, well, killed the ones in this room before they can report to their 'boss'.

"Don't interrupt me." she added when Arthur's mouth opened, "So, the test was to see if you were trustworthy enough to let you in on our plans, because it would be much easier than hiding everything in secret.

"Two demons have been sighted in your kingdom in broad daylight, and we're investigating on what's happening.

"Well, _I've_ been cut out of what's been going on for several months now, thank you very much!" she turned to the others, who shifted their legs and held their arms, a giveaway for discomfort.

"It wasn't our fault!" said Uriel, "I was _dying_ to tell you everything, you know me! But we couldn't pass on too much information without _them_" she nodded towards the imps, "intercepting it!"

"Hang on..." said Merlin, "You were here _before_ the first attack."

"Yes, I didn't know why I was sent here at first, but then I found out." she said, "Anyways, as to why I don't have wings, I am in the form of a human, so that I can blend in."

"So why don't you change now?" asked Arthur.

"I can't go back to my angelic form unless this body dies." she answered, "So, this is all the explanation there is until now, really... The others will fill us in, I hope..."

"Not really..." said one of the Archangels, "The less you know the better, actually... But there is the plan we still have to discuss."

"I'm listening, Phanuel." said Caitlin.

"Are you sure we should tell the humans too?" asked the angel next to him.

At that moment, the marks of all the angels, whether it be on their arms, necks or foreheads, illuminated. They seemed to be talking to themselves. Merlin could feel a presence from his necklace, though.

"What's happening _now_?!" asked Arthur.

The marks stopped glowing as suddenly as when they begun and the angels came back to normal.

"Right then, we are allowed to talk." said Gabriel, "Go on, Phanuel."

"Okay, so the execution must carry on, basically." said the Archangel, "And don't worry she'll be back." he turned to Merlin as he was emanating all the signs of shouting.

"The demons must already know of your execution, and I bet they wouldn't want to miss it for the world." he continued, "We expect some of them to come disguised like the succubi and others just come invisible. It's not yet time to declare war, we are just doing this so that we can count how many demons are there and what are the new sorts of disguises they use."

"Will _he _be there?" asked Caitlin.

"Probably..." said Uriel, "No demon knows that killing an angel in a human form will just release the angel, so Satan himself might want to come to see the end of an _Archangel_. Not just any of the Seven, one of the Three, too!"

"Are you telling me that the Devil himself will be in Camelot tomorrow?!" asked Arthur.

An uneasy silence filled the room. It was broken by the king's almost hysterical laugh.

"Right on!" he bellowed, "This day can't get any more exciting!"

"I like this one!" said the Archangel who made the impatience remark.

"Okay, so we're carrying on with the execution and pretend nothing happened." said the king, "But what if...?"

"They'll all be there in disguise too to prevent any attack." said Israfil.

"What, aren't you coming?" asked Gabriel.

"Father told me to stand-by with my trumpet, just in case..." he answered.

"WHAT?!" yelled all of the six other angels.

"I need to talk to him, how can he do this?!" said Phanuel just before disappearing.

"Why didn't you tell us?! Why didn't _he_ tell us?!" yelled Uriel.

"Because he was afraid that something like this might happen." he answered.

"I'm their _leader_, they're not ready yet!" said Caitlin.

"They've been training for millions of years, Caitlin, they're ready." said Uriel.

"Sorry but what's going on?" asked Gwen, "You're all acting like it's the end of the world!"

"Well..." said Gabriel, "Israfil resounding his horn pretty much means the beginning of the end of the physical world..."

"Oh..." said the queen, "If that's it, then... You may panic again..."

All the angels turned towards her, their eyebrows raised, and they burst out laughing.

"I can't believe a _mortal_ was less worried than we were!" giggled one of the two remaining unnamed archangels.

"We were in a bigger state of shock, that's all, Samael." said Gabriel.

"I'm sure I won't have to sound the horn..." said Israfil, "Father said it's just in case."

"OK, we said all we had to say." said Gabriel, "Let's go!"

One by one, the angels disappeared, until they were all gone, except for Caitlin.

"Right..." said Arthur, "That was... something..."

"What should we do now?" asked Gwen.

"Well, more imps shall come any minute now, so they'll find it strange that I'm not in my cell." said Caitlin, "I guess that's where I'll be staying."

"Alright, this has been a long day for all of us, we should all get some rest. You too Merlin." said Arthur.

Caitlin disappeared with the dead demons, leaving Merlin and the royal couple alone.

"No dinner, I take it?" asked Merlin.

"I'm not hungry." said Gwen, "Are you?" she turned to the king.

"Not really, no." answered Arthur.

"Is there something you're trying to prove?" said Merlin, "I mean... no lunch, no dinner... Are you trying to lose weight? Because that's not exactly the best way to do it..."

"Merlin..." sighed Arthur.

"Shut up?" said the warlock. He was getting too used to it. Every time he opened his mouth. Every single damn time he tries to help._ 'Shut up!'_.

"No..." said Arthur. He and Gwen were staring up at the ceiling. They looked mortified. A weak shadow covered the room from the torch-light.

"There's... something behind me... isn't there?" he asked. To his horror, but not to his surprise, they nodded, lowering their stares until they were looking right through the servant.

Slowly, Merlin turned around. Fear was already taking over him when he opened his eyes.

"Oh. My. God." he gasped. "What is this thing?!"

"Merlin, step back!" said the king, "It could be dangerous!"

"It looks like a box, how can it be dangerous?" he said, laughing.

"NO!" came a man's voice, "WE'RE ONE DAY SOONER, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT EATING OVER THE CONTROLS?!"

"GET A GRIP OF YOURSLEF, MAN! AND DON'T YOU DARE YELL AT MY HUSBAND!" yelled a woman.

"My point is that we are twenty-four hours too early! We must go now!" said the man.

"Hello?! Who is this?!" said Arthur.

"Shh, someone's out there! Quickly!" came the man's voice.

A loud, humming sound came out of the block, and it disappeared.

"What was _that_ about?!" asked Gwen.

"That's too much weirdness to take in for one day." said Arthur, "Let's just leave it there. Goodnight Merlin."

"Goodbye, sire." said the wizard.

As Merlin turned to the door, the strange breathing noise came back, and with it, the blue box.

"Oh, not again!" said the king.

"Why did you do _that_ for?!" bellowed the man's voice.

"Well, _sweetie_," said another woman's voice, "we're in Camelot, sixth century, the most famous people in history, _and we haven't gone out on a proper date since we got married the night you died_!"

"Really?!" said the man. "What about... no... There was... no.. But we... Oh wow, you're right..."

"Well, while you two lovebirds sort things out, Rory and I are going to check the surroundings." said the first woman.

"Hold up, I'm coming with you!" said a third woman's voice.

"How can there be so many people in a so small box?" asked Gwen.

"Alright, be careful you three!" said the man

"Can you imagine if we materialized just in front of other people? The faces they'll... oh no..." said the first woman.

A door of the block opened and a red-haired woman came out, abashed. A man came out and tripped on her.

"Ouch Amy, why did you stop for?" he said, "Oh..."

"Come on, lazy buts," said the third woman, "you're blocking the way! What's happening out there? Oh... Well, this is awkward."

"You're telling me." said Arthur.

"Doctor, you've done it again!" said Amy.

"Did what again?" said the first man's voice,"Don't tell me I landed in another army base!"

The man came out along side the woman he was arguing with. He was wearing a weird butterfly under his chin.

"Oh... Hello." he said.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" said Arthur.

"These are Amy," he pointed towards the red-headed girl, "Rory," he pointed towards the other man, "Clara," he nodded towards the third female, "River," he nudged the bushy-haired woman who came out with him, "and I'm The Doctor."

"Doctor?" said Gwen, "Doctor who?"

"Just The Doctor!" he answered.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why are you wearing a butterfly on your neck?" asked Merlin.

"Believe me, man." said Amy, "We've been trying to tell him to get rid of it for _ages_."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Hey! Bow-ties are cool." he answered.

"Oh come on, even some sixth century bloke thinks it's weird!" said Clara.

"Really? Do we have to discuss this _now_?" said the Doctor.

"Merlin, don't stand so close to them, they're too weird, they could be dangerous!" said Arthur.

"NO WAY! YOU'RE _MERLIN_!" yelled both Rory and Amy.

"Oh, damn." said Clara, "I never thought he was real... or hot..."

"Um, do I know you?" asked Merlin.

"No, not really." answered the Doctor, "So if you're Merlin, then that means that you must be king Arthur!"

"Oh my God we're meeting the Arthurian Legends!" said Rory. "The greatest king, the greatest queen, the greatest sorcerer! Oh my God!"

Merlin's heart stopped. _They know! How can they know?!_ he thought.

"Merlin?" said Arthur, "A sorcerer? A _great_ sorcerer? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Why?" asked Merlin, "Because I'm too dim to be one?"

"Exactly!" answered the king.

"I thought they were more mature than that..." said River.

"Well, legends usually change throughout history." said the Doctor.

"Shut up, raggedy man, you're in no place to talk." said Amy, "The man who almost cried when his fez got blown up!"

"That _you_ and _River_ blew up, mind you!" he said.

"What are you people doing here?" asked Arthur.

"Sorry, wrong time, wrong space. _Someone_" he stared at Rory, "decided he could eat on the controls! We'll be leaving now!"

"No we won't!" said River, "I still want that date!"

"What kind of magic did you use to get here?!" asked the king.

"Magic?" said the Doctor, "That's not _magic_! We used technology!"

"Tech...what?!" asked the king.

"Science for God's sake, a form of science!" said Clara.

"CLARA!" yelled Caitlin's voice. She appeared seconds later right in front of her and hugged her.

"Caitlin!" said Clara, "It's been so long!"

"Oh, I've missed you so much!" said Caitlin, "What are you doing in this time line?"

"You... know each other?" asked Merlin. The others seemed as surprised as he was.

"We're here by accident." said Clara. She tilted her head forwards, smiling.

"Oh, I see." she glimpsed at Rory and then turned to Merlin, "We met about three thousand years ago, one thousand years into your future. "

"You're a time traveler too?" asked the Doctor, "How did you appear just like that?!"

"No, I'm not a time traveler, I'm not a Timelord." answered Caitlin, "I'm omnipotent, and this was magic. I'm an angel. Keep up!"

"Nonsense, magic doesn't exist!" he said.

"Last time I checked, it does." she said, "Doctor, don't try to understand the sixth century. It really doesn't suit you to not know something."

"Excuse me, but I know for a fact that magic is an invention of men." said the Doctor.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." she answered. "You can trust them, my lord, they're good. Well, I'm off to my cell. Great seeing you Clara."

"Wait... Cell?" asked Clara.

"Oh yeah, I'm getting executed tomorrow!" answered Caitlin.

"Oh, I see!' said the tanned girl, "You'll all love her true form. Sexy."

"Well, bye." said Caitlin, before she disappeared again.

"Why do I feel like we're only here for decoration?" asked Gwen.

"You're the ones who weren't talking or asking questions!" answered Merlin.

"But people can't just come and go in the throne room whenever they want to!" said Arthur.

"We'll be on our way, then." said the Doctor.

"Nonsense, you can be our guests!" said Gwen, "Lady River wants a proper date!"

"Really?!" said River. The other three companions followed with a happy buzzing.

"Well, I guess one day wouldn't hurt." said the Doctor.

"Gwen," muttered Arthur, "are you sure? They're complete strangers."

"Oh, let them have some fun!" answered the queen, "Besides, we haven't gone on a proper date ourselves ever since I got pregnant!"

"Alright," said Arthur, "Merlin, show our guests their rooms. What should we do about that?" he pointed at the blue box.

"Oh, I'll take care of that." answered the Doctor, "but I'll need someone with me to show me the way back."

"Fine, Merlin will lead you all to your rooms and then he'll come back with you to take this thing and lead you back." said the king.

"Jolly good!" said the Doctor.

"Great." sighed Merlin, "Leave me with the weirdo."

"Excuse me?" asked the Doctor, "Who are you calling weirdo, weirdo?"

"Well you're the one wearing a butterfly on your neck..." said Merlin.

"Bow-ties are cool, live with it." said the Doctor.

"Well, if you'll follow me, your rooms are this way." said Merlin.

"Isn't it nice, to be in Camelot, no monsters or evil aliens, just a peaceful time off for once!" said Amy.

They left the throne room and walked through the left corridor.

"So, Merlin," said Rory, "are we getting separate rooms?"

"It depends." answered Merlin, "Do you _want_ separate rooms?"

"We'd share a room." said Amy, thrusting her arm around Rory's shoulder.

"Us too!" said River hugging the Doctor.

"I guess I'll have a room to myself." said Clara.

"Alright, three rooms." said Merlin, "Here you go then. The pot chamber is down the hall, and if you need anything, just ask for me, there are guards everywhere."

"I'm sorry... pot chambers?" asked Clara.

"Oh, he means toilets!" said the Doctor.

"One more thing!" said Rory as Merlin and the Doctor started heading back to the throne room, "You _are_ a wizard, right?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Merlin, now panicking.

"Well, you're supposed to be the greatest sorcerer and Arthur's wise councilor, aren't you?" he asked.

"I'm not a sorcerer!" answered Merlin in a nervous laugh, "And Arthur's councilor! Please! You heard him, he thinks I'm an idiot!"

"Nervous laughter really gives everything away, man." said Amy.

"Give what away? I'm not giving anything away. I don't have magic! I'm a normal person. I'm not a sorcerer!" said Merlin very quickly, hardly breathing.

"You just proved my point." she said.

"Well, what else can I say?!" said Merlin, "Magic's outlawed!"

"Magic doesn't even exist!" said the Doctor.

"Please, we didn't believe in _aliens_ and here you are." said Clara.

"But still, the very concept of magic is impossible!" said River.

"What makes you think you have magic, anyways, Merlin?" asked the Doctor.

Merlin sighed. He didn't like five strangers finding out he had magic.

"_Lyfte ic þe in balwen_! _Upastige draca_!" he said.

A strong air current came through the open windows, and the fire of each torch grew tenfold, until each flame detached itself from its host. They then took the shape of small dragons, dancing around the guests.

"But that's... that's not possible!" said both the Doctor and River.

"Wow! That's so beautiful!" gasped Amy and Clara.

"There are fire dragons dancing around us!" exclaimed Rory in a trembling voice, "How wicked is that!"

"Yeah, dragons are kind of my signature..." said Merlin.

The flames went back to their original place and form.

"Alright, let's get to move the Tardis, then!" said the Doctor, "Geronimo!"

He took Merlin by the arm and ran.

"Erm, Doctor?" asked the wizard.

"Yes, Merlin?" said the hyped man.

"We're going in the wrong direction..." he answered.

"Oh." said the Timelord, stopping, "Right, you lead the way."

Merlin took the right turn and continued walking, followed by the Doctor. They went into the throne room, where the king and queen were still in, but they ignored them. The Doctor went in the blue box, signaling Merlin to follow him.

"Oh my God..." gasped Merlin as he went through the doors.

There he was, standing in front of a gigantic reddish-colored room. The walls were strangely shaped, almost as though they had been hit by giant boulders all around. There were stairs that led to dozens of doors, and at the center of the whole place stood a giant, shining and transparent mast.

"Yeah, I know, the 'bigger on the inside' part..." said the Doctor.

"And _you're_ the one saying magic is impossible!" said Merlin, still in awe.

"That's not magic!" said the Doctor, "That's physics. It's okay, you can go around the box to see if you're not going mad. The others did so."

"I know I'm not going insane, I don't need to check it out." answered Merlin.

"If you say so..." said the Doctor, "So! Where should I land the Tardis?"

"How about in your room?" asked Merlin.

"It is a good place... and I will be able to keep an eye on her..." said the Doctor, "My room it is, then!"

He went at the middle of the room to the huge mast, where he started jerking some levers and pushing buttons. Almost directly, a deafening breathing sound came out of the pole and the whole machine started shaking.

"Earthquake!" yelled Merlin.

"Don't worry!" yelled the Doctor, almost indistinctly under the buzzing, still maneuvering the controls, "It always happens!"

The breathing voice and the shaking stopped.

"Hello, sweetie!" came River's voice, "You've materialized around me! And it shouldn't happen like that, you're the one who doesn't know how to fly it."

"Yes, yes, because you can fly it, because you're _so_ awesome." said the Doctor.

"Well, I am!" answered River.

"She kind of is..." said Merlin.

"Oh, Merlin! Not you too!" said the Doctor.

"You don't even know me!" said Merlin.

"You'd be surprised what we know about you!" said River.

"How would you?" asked Merlin.

"Careful River, we don't want to give him any...-" began the Doctor

"Spoilers!" interrupted River, "You'll find out by yourself, dear."

"Fine." said Merlin, "Like I said before, if you need anything, ask for me."

"Bye, Merlin!" said River and the Doctor, who was still using the strange mast.

"Mmm, Bye!" said Merlin.

"We're going to have that date tomorrow." said River, as Merlin got out of the box.

"Alright, we'll stroll around." said the Doctor, "Someone will want to show us the scenery."

He was inside the doctor and River's room. _Wow, this is really handy... it's like that tele-thingy Caitlin used..._ he thought.

He headed back to the throne room, whilst avoiding joining Clara and Gwaine, who were flirting with each other... _Well, they do seem to have the same traits of character..._ he thought.

"Ah, Merlin, so how did it go?" asked Arthur as Merlin entered the room again.

"Well," said Merlin, "I went into a box that's bigger from the inside with a man called 'Doctor' who wears a butterfly on his neck, disappeared and reappeared from one place to another, said that a woman I barely know was awesome, and Clara is already flirting with Gwaine. So yeah, it went fine."

"And I told the guards that we invited five strange people to stay in the castle, so that they don't think they're intruders." said Arthur, "I think it's great time that we go to sleep. Guinevere's already ahead of us."

"Alright sire," said Merlin, "goodnight."

He went upstairs until he reached his room. Gaius was already asleep. He wrote a note on his bed that said "_I know about tomorrow's plans and our unexpected visitors. Goodnight, Merlin._"

"Well, that takes care of all the explanations... Goodnight Caitlin." he muttered to himself as he threw himself on his bed, exhausted.

"Goodnight Merlin!" came a voice from his necklace.

"GAH!" shouted Merlin, "Caitlin! Don't do that ever again!"

"Careful, you'll wake Gaius up!" said the voice, "Sorry about that!"

"Hey, at least I didn't... Oh, wait... Ah, I wet myself _again_! Did I just say that aloud? Aw man!" he said.

"Time to train yourself for that cloth-switching spell, I see!" said Caitlin, laughing.

"I'm not sure I want to..." said Merlin.

"Oh, come on!" she said, "You can't give up! If you can't do something as simple as that, how do you expect to surpass the real difficulties?"

"Well, here goes nothing!" he said. _Change!_ He thought.

"You see, it worked!" said Caitlin's voice, "Even though your shirt is where your pants should be and vice versa..."

"Oh..." said Merlin, "Hang on, I think..." _Swap!_ he thought. His shirt and pants switched place and were on their right positions.

"It wasn't _that_ hard now, was it?" said Caitlin, "Goodnight, then!"

"Yeah, night..." said Merlin.

He finally did it!

_But how can I sleep, with everything that's going to happen tomorrow?! What if something went wrong? What if the demons did something? What if Caitlin actually died? Oh, I can't even... No..._ Merlin thought, right before he fell into a deep sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Merlin woke up the next day with a light headache. Sunshine had been filtering through the half-opened window, reflecting itself on his necklace. He felt miserable. At first, he didn't quite remember why, but then he did. The mournful feeling matched. Caitlin's execution. He was late.

"No you're not, Merlin, it isn't happening until an hour later." came Caitlin's voice.

"I thought you wouldn't read minds." said Merlin.

"You said it out loud." she answered.

"I don't want to see it." he said, "I won't be able to bear... I just can't!"

"Aw but you'll miss my true angelical form!" she said in a the voice of a disappointed child, "Please Merlin, you won't regret it! I promise!"

"I still didn't get used to talking to you while staring through thin air." said Merlin.

"Don't change the subject." she answered, "I'll tell Clara to get you by force. And you really don't want to get on her bad side. Ah, I see she and Sir Gwaine had an interesting evening."

He got off his bed and left directly the top floor. He wasn't hungry at all for breakfast.

"So what do you do, spy on us for fun?" he asked, smiling to himself.

"That's the spirit, I want you to smile!" she answered.

"How... Can... Can you see me?" he asked, heading towards the castle kitchens.

"I can see everything through walls, yeah." she answered, "It can sometimes be a gift. But other times... let's just say someone else will be pregnant pretty soon now."

"Wow... that... that's really... Hey!" he said, now filling two plates with food, "Don't tell me you were watching me all night!" he waited for a response, but nothing came, "I knew it! I felt like I was being watched!"

"Well it is hardly my fault that you are so adorable when you sleep!" she used as an excuse.

"Wow. Unbelievable!" said Merlin, partly amused. His reflection in the mirror showed him red as blood.

"Oh please, as if you wouldn't have done the same thing if you could." she said.

"Mmm, point taken." he said, climbing the stairs leading to the royal chambers.

"Anyways, I'll leave you to work." she said, and her voice faded away.

"OH MY GOD, WHERE'S MERLIN, I'M STARVING!" bellowed Arthur's voice.

Merlin pushed the doors open.

"Well, maybe if you actually ate something yesterday, you wouldn't be that hungry now." he said.

"Merlin-I-love-you-I-have-never-been-so-happy-to-s ee-you-in-my-life!" said Arthur, jumping at the tray of food, realizing only too late what he had said. His expression became grim and he slowly turned his dead-struck face towards Merlin.

"Wow, if this is what happens after a day without food, I'd want to see what would happen after two days!" Merlin joked.

"Merlin, shut up." said the king.

Merlin turned away and gave the queen her plate.

"Thank you, Merlin." she said.

"See, Arthur, you can just tell me 'thank you' without having to declare your love and then tell me to shut up." he said.

"I think _you're_ the one who should be executed." Arthur answered.

The sentence hit Merlin like an ice boulder. The execution... Caitlin... Gwen raised her eyebrows at Arthur. Merlin's expression must have been really lousy because even Arthur, ARTHUR, tried to apologize...

"Uhm Merlin, no sorry... I didn't... I didn't mean it like that... I'd never..." he said.

"It's not that, it's Caitlin." Merlin said.

"Who seems happy and isn't bothered." said Gwen.

"Well of course she is!" said Merlin, "It's Caitlin we're talking about! Hide-my-feelings-to-make-everyone-feel-better Caitlin!"

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" said the queen.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but Gwaine wanted you to know that everything for the, um, the execution was in place." said Clara, "And oi! Cheekbones!" she was staring at Merlin, "Caitlin heard that."

"Oh God Caitlin will you stop eavesdropping already?!" Merlin asked to thin air.

"_You're_ the one who mentioned my name!" came her voice.

"To _them_," he answered, "I wasn't talking to _you_!"

"Merlin's gone crazy!" said Arthur.

"No, he's talking to her through the necklace." said Clara, "It's like a cell phone but with unlimited battery, no call charges and better quality. I want one!"

"I'm sorry, what?" said the king.

"Oh, right! The phone hasn't been invented yet!" she said, "Never-mind!"

Merlin finished talking to the angel, and Clara decided she was to go back and smooch... she meant stay with Gwaine.

"Well, if you don't need me anymore, I'll be giving our guests breakfast." he said.

"No need, Merlin, they already had their breakfast." said Caitlin.

"Alright then." said Arthur.

"They've already taken it..." he said, "I guess I'll stay until the... the thing..."

"Merlin, you've grown too sensitive, you know that?" said Arthur.

"And you're still a dollop-head." said Merlin. That cheered him up a bit.

"Merlin, I'm your king!" he said.

"What does that have to do with the fact that you're a dollop-head?" said Gwen.

Merlin and Gwen laughed. Arthur turned towards the queen, looking like he's been betrayed, then joined them in the laughter.

"That's the smile, Merlin!" said Gwen.

"Sorry to ruin it, but we have to go now." said Arthur.

They went downstairs, where they separated. Merlin went on to the central square, whereas the royal couple went to the balcony.

The crowd waiting outside was enormous, by far bigger than the usual one, probably by ten times. Everyone was pushing each other, trying to get a peek at the ax.

_That's disgusting how they want to see someone die_ Merlin thought.

He noticed hundreds of new statues on the roofs and the walls. They had the forms of angels covering their eyes with their hands. _So this is how the angels came_.

"You noticed them too?" asked the Doctor.

"What, the statues? Yeah, kind of obvious, they were never here before." he answered.

"Doctor, are those... what I think they are?" asked Rory.

"Yes." said the Doctor gazing , "Weeping angels."

"But what are they doing her now?" asked Amy, "It's bad enough that we had to deal with them when they killed Rory and me!"

"I'm sorry, weeping angels? Killed?" asked Merlin, "You're alive."

"Time is like a ball of wibbely-wobbely, timey-wimey stuff, it's very complicated. Hmm, probably that's why the Tardis brought us here." answered the Doctor, adjusting his red 'bow-tie'.

"Sorry to tell you this Doctor, but you're wrong this time." said a little girl to Merlin's left, "These aren't weeping angels, but they're disguised as them."

"And how would a child from the sixth century know that?" he asked.

"Oh give me some credit! I look at least twelve!" she said.

"Wait a minute..." said Merlin, "Uriel?!"

"And we have a winner!" she answered, "I'm in disguise." she explained.

"And who, exactly, might you be?" asked the Doctor.

"Archangel Uriel." she whispered, "Those statues are demons. This is apparently one of their new ways of disguise. There are others who came invisible, and others in human form, so be on your watch."

"Uriel your new form is so cute you should keep it!" said Clara.

"This is just an image of a human, I didn't actually turn into one." said Uriel, "And I don't really like it, I'm too short!"

"You know her?!" asked the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River who joined up during the conversation.

"I pretty much know them all from that time Caitlin described." she said.

"Anyways, I have to head back and help the others count the number of demons, bu-bye!" said Uriel, running into the crowd.

A beating of drums started, slow and steady.

"Move it, you idiotic, sweaty sack of potatoes! I want to see the show." came a woman's screech.

"Wow, someone's a bit over-excited..." said Amy.

"What's it gonna take for you to shave off that mustache, woman?! It's thicker than that dog's _tail_!" came the yell again, closer, "Now MOVE IT!"

Some undignified voices were raised.

"How can you even stand up with those puny toothpicks you call legs, freak?! Move aside!" the woman was getting closer to the front, closer to Merlin and the others.

After a handful of other insults, they saw the woman at last surging from the crowd.

"Well hello there, cabbage-ears!" she said, "I don't expect your weird-looking friends or that oddly dressed cat or that woman with the raspy voice or that half-angel wannabe to know me," she held back to catch her breath laughing, enjoying their affronted faces, "but you'll really hurt my feelings if you said you forgot about me so fast!" she said in a mocking, baby-sh tone.

"Please, who could forget that kind of rudeness, Sekhmet." Merlin answered.

"Ha!" she answered, "Where I'm from, dung-head, this is called being too nice! You don't even want to begin to know what rude is with me."

"I still can't believe that your kind is supposed to _seduce_ men... I'd rather kiss a rat, to be honest." he said, satisfied by the fiery glare from her eyes.

"And a rat is probably what you're ever going to be able to kiss with a fetus face." she answered back, "And you'd make a good demon. You should consider that."

"I'm not really interested with who or what you kiss, but at least you admit that your face is ugly." he said, "I'll never join you."

"Oh! You got BURNED!" said Amy, laughing with the others.

"Your bloody hair is probably the cause of it, they look like they could get anything on fire!" said Sekhmet, "And shut your hole or ship yourself back to Scotia!"

"Now listen here, you can't talk to her like that!" said the Doctor.

"Your bow-ties are provoking me." she said, "Your hair looks like you're trying to become a woman, and your face looks stuck between toddler mode and old and wrinkled mode."

"Well, at least I'm not the one who smells like I've been jogging for four hours and then decided to go take a bath in a big tub full of dung extracted from diarrhea-infected horses." he said.

"Enough!" exclaimed Clara, "Don't you see you're becoming like her?"

They fell silent, looking down at their feet.

"But of course, the half-breed has her word to say!" the succubi went on.

"I have nothing to say to you, now shut up and _leave us alone._" she said.

The demon's eyes widened suddenly, filled with anger and loathing, and she ran backwards hidden by the crowd.

The group's gaze fell directly upon Clara.

"How on _Earth _did you do that?!" asked River.

"I... I didn't!" she said, shocked herself, "I don't know what came over her!"

"Merlin?" asked the Doctor, "Was it you?"

"No, I..." began Merlin.

The drumbeat became stronger, interrupting him, and the gates leading to the dungeons opened.

There she was, smiling, between two armed guards.

"The guards aren't necessary, she _wants _to be beheaded!" said Merlin.

"Yeah, but we got to keep up appearances, don't we?" said Clara.

As Caitlin got behind the trunk where she would get her head off, everybody in the crowd fell silent, some with eager in their faces, others with comprehension, and few, whom Merlin guessed were the actual humans, were purely confused.

He looked up at the statues and noticed that their hands had moved enough so that they didn't cover their eyes anymore.

His heart was pounding so hard that he wasn't sure whether the beating he was hearing was his heart's or the drum's. This is it.

"Caitlin, you have been accused for the illegal use of Magic, knowing that it's usage was illegal in this kingdom. Therefore, you are sentenced to death. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" said Arthur from the balcony above.

She looked up, humming a song, smiling as though someone told her the best news she's ever had, and shook her head.

"Thee angels smile at everything it makes me sick." said someone behind.

"For the hate of Satan, uncle Sonneillon, you should keep low profile." someone else whispered, "Some of them are filthy humans, they could hear us."

"Let them hear us, Carnivean, I'll rip their guts out right on the spot." replied the other.

"Shut up, Sonneillon, Carnivean is right." said a very rough voice.

"Yes, Master." he said, and didn't say anything after.

The king gave sign to the executioner to go one. Caitlin gently put her head on the wood. The ax went up. Half the crowd's heads leaned forward in anticipation. Merlin tried to turn his, but he couldn't.

"Oh no, Merlin. You're watching this. You'll like it. Trust me." said Caitlin's voice in his head.

A quick fleeting sound and the thud of the ax's impact with the wood were all Merlin could sense.

He had gone blind.

No, he was seeing light, not darkness...

Music. Such a delightful, warm and welcoming music. And then angry screams. And the world came back.

The shape of a winged woman floating above a deflated body. His vision was getting clearer now. She was beautiful as always.

She looked exactly like her human form, except that her dark hair that usually gave the impression that they were emitting light was longer and literally emitting light.

Her posture was also different. Somehow, she looked much more impressive and stronger than normal, but that was probably because you could see massive wings whiter than even snow, and a shining Halo above her head.

He could see now why she was tasked as an army leader. She radiated a hearty aura, much more powerful than the ones he sensed from the other Archangels.

"Oh." said Amy.

"My." said Rory.

"Damn." said River.

"I think you meant God, dear." said the Doctor.

"No, sweetie, I meant damn." said River, "As in damn, those demons are really pissed off now..."

Hisses and boos sounded from half the crowd. Shaking fists and insults aroused.

The other half of the crowd seemed happy, nervous, waiting for something, and relieved all at once. _They must have been preparing for that horn._ thought Merlin.

Caitlin tilted her head, facing the crowd, then the statues, and again the crowd. Her expression was pure hate. Merlin still couldn't get used to that.

"Go. Now." she said.

Nobody moved,they all just stared at her.

"I said go." she repeated.

"What is this?!" roared a guy with a rough voice. It was Sonneillon's master. He was now standing very close to Merlin.

"THIS, Satan, is a warning." she said. Merlin's eyes rounded in horror, so did his new friends'. They all jumped away from the Devil himself.

"I said go." she continued, "I will not say it again."

The demon half of the crowd started whispering, scared. Apparently, the fact that she talks to Satan himself without the faintest hint of fear is scary.

"Who are _you_, to give ME a warning, you puny little angel?!" he yelled, but Merlin noticed a small escape of dread in his voice.

"I am Archangel Caitlin, Three of the Seven, Leader of the Army, and I just gave you an order." she said, so imposingly that half the statues and the demons disappeared.

"Cowards." he whispered, then raised his voice, "And I am Satan, the Devil himself, Ruler of all demon and wicked person. I will NOT obey an insignificant insect like you."

A ray of light shot out of Caitlin's halo right into the Devil. He squawked and screeched in a way that all the demons vanished instantly. She stopped.

"I may not be of the Holy Trinity or the Saint Mother to have the right to destroy you, but I can hurt you in ways you can't even begin to imagine. Now. I. Said. _GO!_" she ordered.

"We... will meet... again." he roared, breathing hardly just before he disappeared.

All of the remaining crowd cheered, and her expression changed suddenly back to love and happiness.

"And this, troops, is how you make the whole demon legion run away with their master, single-handed." she said, laughing as more applause came from the crowd and more angels appeared, probably the ones who came invisible.

"Alright now, you should all go back. Uriel, you will give them the final lessons later. I will need you and the others for now. We will wait for Israfil to come. The rest, go prepare yourselves." said Caitlin.

They all disappeared after a second of loud whispering.

There were no one left now except for the six Archangels, Merlin, the new visitors, the royal couple and the guards, who were so overcome that they fainted. Even the knights had shaky legs now. _I wouldn't blame them... Even I was taken aback._ thought Merlin.

"Caitlin..." began Uriel in a weak voice, going back to her angelical form. The others did as well.

"I know what you're thinking." she interrupted, "But they must be prepared, even if there's no danger. The final lessons are essential now."

"Caitlin, what's happening?" asked Gwen.

"We don't know yet, my lady." she answered bluntly, "Can you two please go back to the throne room? Merlin and Clara, you can stay if you want."

"Hey, why just them?!" asked Amy.

"Yeah, why _Merlin_ and not the king himself?" asked Arthur.

"Well Merlin is my boyfriend so I won't hide anything from him, and Clara is Clara, she'll probably try to find a way to sneak in anyways." said Caitlin.

"Fine." said the king, "Get inside." he ordered the guards and the knights. They obeyed, and so did the Doctor and his company.

As soon as they all left, all the angels reached for their halos and emitted strong and powerful light. Gasps of pain and soft sounds were heard, and when the light was dismissed, they could see twenty imps lying on the floor. Caitlin raised her hand and they disappeared.

"Alright now." she said, "Israfil, come."

Blurry light came out of nowhere and there stood the Archangel Israfil.

"I saw everything from above." he said, "You're good."

"What are you doing?" asked Merlin, as Caitlin was raising her hand repeatedly around them.

"Spell, protecting us from eavesdroppers. No one can see us or hear us. I'm Raguel, by the way." answered the seventh Archangel.

"If the spell will do that, then you didn't let Clara in to spare her effort." said Merlin.

"No, I didn't." said Caitlin, "Clara, the girl who died twice, until now. Half-angel, half-human. Alright, we can talk now."

"Wait, you mean I'll die _again_?" asked Clara, "Oh this is just _great_! Recovering my memory for _another _lifetime!"

"I _said_," said Caitlin, smiling, "we can talk now."

Merlin could really see the Army Leader part of Caitlin now. Even though she's sweet and nice, she was also firm and strict.

"Fine." said Clara, resting on her back in mid-air. _In mid-air?!_

"What?" she said, noticing Merlin's astonished look, "You're not the only one with magic, you know."


	10. Chapter 10

"I still don't understand how you can be half-human and half-angel." said Merlin.

"I'm the only one so far." answered Caitlin, "It happens when a human baby is attacked by a demon, see. A protective spell repels the demon and gives the baby the powers of an angel reduced to half its potency. I'm still more powerful than all the sorcerers united, though." she laughed.

"So, you were wondering why we wanted to talk to you." said Caitlin.

"Yeah." answered Merlin.

"You, Merlin, are the most powerful wizard in the world, now and until as far as history can tell." she explained, "And Caitlin, well, is a half-angel. So this is what's going to happen. And you must listen too." she looked up at the Archangels.

"Starting now," she said, "we will have to be careful and prepared. From what I've seen today, the demons can hide in the form of humans, weeping angels, ash trees, hedgehogs and even water. They can also be invisible to mortals."

"So the weeping angel and ash tree forms are new." said Phanuel, "Didn't you find any possessed people?"

"No," said Samael, "They can't do that anymore ever since... the incident." he stared at Clara.

"You can just say it." she said, "After I became a semi-angel," she was speaking to Merlin now, "the demon tried to attack me again, for some reason. He tried to possess me, but he didn't realize that I had angel magic coursing through my veins.

"It generated a spell that not only destroyed the demon, but also made it impossible for any demon to entirely possess a human being ever again."

"Except that they can still influence them to do things." said Raguel.

"That's not our subject of discussion." said Caitlin, "What we're here to talk about is what will happen now."

"Yeah, I mean." said Uriel, "You deliberately harmed Satan, he will take it as a personal offense!"

"Please, as if he'll dare to look at me straight in the eyes after that." she said, laughing.

"But he's still the most powerful demon there is." said Gabriel, "Humans even see him as powerful as Father."

"Don't tell me that any of you is scared of him!" she said.

"Actually, he terrifies me..." said Merlin. Clara nodded in agreement.

"Well, you two _are _humans." Caitlin said, "Any demon should terrify you, Merlin, as they're much more powerful than you, and of course Satan frightens you, Clara, you're a half-angel."

"Which brings us to our actual topic, I suppose?" asked Israfil.

"Don't be silly, Israfil." said Caitlin, "I will surely not grant two living _mortals_ full-on angel powers."

"But then what is there to discuss?" asked Raguel, "We already know everything that needs to be done."

"Dear Raguel if you actually listened to anything I said in the two thousand and fifteenth lesson, it's that there is _always _something to be discussed." said Caitlin.

"Actually, I skipped this lesson, I had to go and lead the five to _sing the Son's birth to the shepherds across the plains,_ so I'm very sorry for slacking off!" he said

"No need to be sarcastic..." said Caitlin.

"So, what is the damn topic already?!" said Clara.

"The topic _is_, Clara," said Caitlin, "Do these wings make me look fat?"

Nobody answered.

"Are. You. Serious?" asked Samael.

"Very." answered Caitlin, not smiling at all.

"Wait, now that you mention it..." said Uriel, horror-struck, "They're pure white..."

"Thank you!" she said, "And so are Israfil's and Gabriel's!"

"Weren't they already white?" asked Merlin to the seven Archangels, as Gabriel and Israfil were checking each other's wings in panic.

"To you it's the same color." said Uriel. "But they were golden to an angel's eye. Now they're _pure_ white. Our wings are still golden, though. The other angels' are normal white."

"So... pure white... that's a drastic change of color because...?" said Merlin.

"Because it means that war is coming." said Caitlin.

"Wait, but Israfil didn't...-" began Merlin.

"It's because it won't start for some time, but it _is _coming." said Israfil.

An uncomfortable silence filled the square as the angels stared at each-other, each of them trying to deal with the news.

"So..." said Merlin, "Should I tell Arthur abou-..."

"NO!" yelled the Archangels in unison.

"No mortal can know about it before I blow my horn!" said Israfil.

"All of humanity would run amok in panic, giving an advantage to the demons!" spoke Phanuel.

"Ok, ok, no need to get all panicky!" said Merlin.

"Now that your shock is gone, I will need help getting back into human form, so I won't faint this time." she said to the other angels.

"Yeah, sure." said Uriel.

They all made a circle around her, pushing their hands forwards. Their skin marks glowered brightly, and light poured out of Caitlin as though she was the sun.

"Well, this isn't a sight you see everyday." said Clara.

"You're a half-angel who doesn't show her magic, while traveling in a small box that's bigger on the inside with an alien weirdo and his wife and pet married couple across time and space... " said Merlin, "Actually, I don't think the red-headed one would let anyone call her pet..."

"Touché." she said, "But actually I don't know how to control my magic, I can only hover in the air."

The light faded away and there was Caitlin in the form Merlin got used to know.

"Well, I can tell you that: this was much better than the last time." said Caitlin.

"So, I guess this is goodbye for now." said Gabriel, "I wonder how the other angels will take the news..."

"I think they already know..." said Caitlin, "At least one of them should have noticed the wings."

"Great, so I'll have to return to a crazed and panicking army." said Uriel, "I admire how you were able to train them for billions of years and didn't go mad."

"Uriel, you're capable of making someone cry just by looking at them with your angry stare. I don't think that's a problem..." said Gabriel.

"And _what_ do you mean by that?" snapped Uriel.

"Uhm." said Gabriel, "Goodbye Caitlin, Merlin, Clara." and he disappeared.

"GABRIEL, COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! _GABRIEL_!" yelled Uriel, disappearing too.

"Woah, she's scary when she's mad." said Merlin.

"You didn't see anything yet, trust me." said Raguel, as everyone laughed.

"Alright, we're leaving before Uriel tries something insane on Gabriel." said Samael.

The other angels nodded, smiling, and disappeared with him.

"Alright you two, we're going back to the castle." said Caitlin. "I lifted the eavesdroppers protection spell."

"You don't have to be so bossy." said Merlin.

"Oh shut up." said Caitlin, hugging him, "I missed being with you. Even if it was just one day."

"How do you think I felt, then?!" said Merlin.

"Oh barf." said Clara, "Get a room, you two."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, it's not as if you and Gwaine were kissing all the time and everywhere." said Merlin.

"Shut up, Merlin." said Clara.

"Weird... For a moment there I thought you were Arthur." he said, and the three of them laughed as they got inside the castle.


	11. Chapter 11

**Right, I've been really busy lately, so I'm going to be posting slowly from now on, I'm so sorry for that :'(**

**Plus, starting this point, most chapters will be short because... well... I don't really know, they just will.**

**Thanks so much for staying and reading until here, I'm so touched that you actually liked this cheesy thing :')**

**I promise the next chapters will be... not emotional... I don't know how to call it... but it'll be great and you won't know what hit you ;)**

**What am I talking about? _I_ don't even know how the story is going to end... I change everything as I write it :P Anyways, happy reading! ^^**

* * *

"I want to know WHAT HAPPENED!" echoed a screech throughout the fiery walls of the castle.

"Calm yourself, woman, it's not as if anyone died!" answered another voice.

"THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT, YOU BONEHEAD!" screamed the woman.

"You filthy creature, you dare talk to me in that tone?!" answered the poisonous voice.

"NOT ONLY IS SHE ALIVE," squawked the woman, "BUT SHE ALSO MANAGED TO THREATEN YOU _AND _HURT YOU! I THOUGHT YOU WERE CALLED SATAN FOR A REASON!"

"How exactly was I to know that she wouldn't be killed?" answered the Devil, "How would I be capable to defend myself against the Archangel of War when I was taken by surprise?"

"You know, for a ruler of all demons who had just been outsmarted by a wannabee butterfly, you're pretty calm." said the woman.

"That's because I am _thinking_, Sekhmet." said the demon, "But you wouldn't know what it means, would you?"

"And what are you _thinking_, exactly?" she asked, in a mocking tone.

"I don't see how this is any of _your_ business." he answered.

"That's because you're blind as a bat." she muttered.

"I heard that." he said warningly, "I am thinking about our whole strategy change. The angels" he threw a disgusted look in the air "already know we are planning something. And now they are aware of our numbers and ways of disguise."

"And being completely helpless in an attack certainly didn't help the others think highly of you." said the succubus in a mocking tone.

"That's cheap, considering a _half-breed_ managed to repel you without even trying." smirked Satan.

"Shut up before I...-" started Sekhmet.

"Before you what?" said the Devil, getting up, defiantly.

"Nothing." she answered, a face full of fear.

"That's what I thought so." he said, a grin satisfaction covering his face, "So, what did your scouting missions report until now?"

"Isn't it a bit late for that?" said Sekhmet, "I sent Cerberus ages ago, and went back yesterday."

"I need as much information as I can get, as I perfectly told you since the beginning." ha answered.

"OK, so... let me remember..." she wondered or a while after that.

"I don't have all day." said Satan.

"When Cerberus was there, she managed to send him back here in her human form, so this is scary..." she said, "From what I've seen through his eyes, she was mad, especially when it came after that gangly boy... Berlin, I think. Or was it Vernon? Ah who cares. Anyways, when I went there myself yesterday to that village of retarded people, she seemed to have grown quite fond of the boy. And he seems to like her too, if you know what I mean." she smirked at the thought, and her master's totally abashed face made her laugh.

"An _Angel_ who went so low and fell in love with a _human_? Impossible. Even Angels have _some_ class and dignity." said Satan.

"I know that gross love thing when I see it." she replied, "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" he said rhetorically, "Anyways... I think we just found ourselves a new plan." he sneered.

"Listening." she said, attentively.

"No, you're stupid and will tell it to everyone as soon as you get out of here. Get me Carnivean and Sonneillon." he ordered.

"Yes, you little...-" she said, but stopped as soon as she saw his terrifying face.

He saw her leave and close the doors behind her.

_None of them even knows what's coming._ He thought with a smirk, glaring at the dying angel painting on the wall. _Her wings were pure white. What's the matter goddie, are you afraid?_

His laugh echoed through the entire fiery hall, reckless.


	12. Chapter 12

"Well, there's nothing like a good old execution with angels and demons and Satan to give you goosebumps, is there?" said Arthur.

"If you'd seen what we usually do, believe me, you'd find this normal." said River.

"So. You usually execute archangels because they asked you to and then watch them attack the Devil himself?" asked Merlin. Caitlin, Clara and he had just returned to the throne room.

"Well, no, but there was that time with the Ood..." answered the Doctor.

"Don't forget the Daleks, they're the worst." said Amy.

"Daleks?! Blimey, we always beat them. It's the Cybermen that give me the creeps!" explained Rory.

"Someone's forgotten about the weeping angels, I presume?" said River.

The time-travelers shivered slightly at that thought.

"Let's just pretend we understood those things you just said and move on." said Arthur.

A speck of energy trickled down Merlin's spine. He looked at Caitlin and Clara, and noticed they both cringed too.

"Did you feel that too?" Merlin whispered. Clara nodded.

"That's not supposed to happen so soon..." said Caitlin.

"Sorry?" asked the king.

"Satan is willingly offering help to a mortal..." she answered.

"And you know this how?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Did you seriously think we did all this just to count how many demons there are and what were their new disguises?" she asked rhetorically, "No, we also cast some spying spells on them. That way, we can sense when they interact with humans, among other things."

"And who is that person, then?" he asked.

"I don't know her name..." a golden flare filled Caitlin's eyes, "She's got dark hair, fairly tall, very pretty... hmm... green eyes... she's-"

"Morgana?!" yelled Arthur. Gwen's eyes widened and the time-travelers narrowed their eyes in curiosity.

"I don't know who that is..." answered Caitlin, "Hang on, I'll give you full view."

She raised her arm and a giant blueish orb materialized in the middle of the throne room.

"So, to whom do I owe the honor?" asked a female's voice. _Morgana._ Merlin thought.

"That, you do not need to know yet. Not until I'm done talking to you." answered a rough man's voice.

The orb began to take colors, and two humanoid blurs began to appear.

"I have asked you a question. You better answer it before I dispose of you." said Morgana.

"Don't even think about threatening me. Your power doesn't even match half of what I have in a single fingernail, and I strongly advise you not to put that to the test." answered the man who, by identification, was the Devil.

The blurs in the orb sharpened and clear reflections of the Lady Morgana and of Satan's human form were now inside of it.

"I'm listening." said the witch.

"I have come to make you... a proposition." began Satan, "A proposition to become the most powerful creature known to Man, except for me and my followers, of course."

Morgana thought about it for a while.

"More powerful than Emrys?" she asked.

"Emrys?" asked the Devil.

"The one sorcerer apparently destined to be my undoing." she explained.

"Emrys..." he repeated... "The name itself is powerful. Sekhmet!" his eyes glowed gray, "Find out what that Emrys bloke is supposed to do."

"What's in a name? It's just a word." said Morgana.

"Just a word? The name is the soul's deepest and most unreachable piece. A powerful name makes the soul almost impossible to corrupt by demons, and is very likely to get near-angelical powers. When the sorcerer finds out how to expose his true form, that is."

"Demons? Angels? What are you on about?" asked Morgana.

"You have the honor to be talking to the Devil himself." he said, smirking.

"The _Devil_?!" asked Morgana in a stern, mocking voice, "I warn you, I do not like such bad jokes, and I will have your head on a spike."

The man suddenly grew twice as tall, great red horns spurted out of his head, his skin became dark gray, his teeth and eyes bloodshot-red, a long black tail darted from his back and enormous black wings spread wide, so big they didn't fit in the orb. The sight was both beautiful and extremely scary at once.

Everyone in the room except Caitlin gasped, and a whimper escaped Morgana.

"Believe me now, do you?" he asked.

"Master." said an appearing Sekhmet, not leaving time for Morgana to answer.

"What did you find out?" he asked. Morgana twitched in her chair and bent over in curiosity, eager to know., her breath unsteady.

"Emrys is not his true name," said the succubus, "it is the name the sheep-like humans gave to him. I think they call themselves dudes? Goofs? Brutes? Poofs? Any help?"

"You're talking of the druids." answered Morgana "Are you some kind of idiot or something?"

Satan and the people in the throne room far away from the scene snorted. Sekhmet glared at Morgana but didn't say anything.

"Yes, them." she answered. "I read all of their minds. They all knew who he is and what his true name was, but it was too powerful and I couldn't find it." The trace of a smile formed at the corner of her mouth, "I then tortured every single one of them to make them talk, but they refused, even when I injected Cerberus' poison in them. I think the name has a special shield. That sorcerer must be really powerful. I killed them all after I got everything I needed but the name."

Everyone in the throne room gasped.

Satan smiled that diabolical smile Merlin found on Nimueh and Uther so many times before.

"What else did you find out?" he asked.

"That Emrys is supposed to kill that... I'm sorry, I just can't find insults for you." she looked up at Morgana, who raised her eyebrows, "He's also supposed to help reunite Albion and peace and rainbows and butterflies and blah blah blah. Oh and he lives in Camelot, and that's all I know."

"So, back to my question?" said Morgana. It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes, but I'll give you more details, of course." said Satan "Sekhmet, are the Dark Seven coming?"

"They're still preparing the weapons for the weaklings, but they'll be here shortly." she answered.

Satan's eyes glowed gray, and he turned, as if he was scanning the entire room .His facial expression suddenly turned to pure hate.

"Good. Now," his face instantly filled the entire globe, making it glow red, "I hope that this conversation entertained you well, angel filth, but you apparently forgot you were dealing with me. Did you seriously think I would expose my plans before checking for spying jinxes after what happened today? You didn't hear anything of importance to me, now good riddance."

Caitlin's eyes widened and she twisted her arms so that a shield protected the orb, which suddenly exploded inside the yellowish force.

"What was that all about?" asked the king.


	13. Chapter 13

"Morgana made a deal with the Devil!" snapped Arthur, "I knew she was evil, but I never expected her to sink so low!"

"Emrys... Haven't we heard that name in history?" asked Rory, "He.. yes, he was a king!"

"I think you're talking about king Louis the fourteenth, Rory... king of France." answered Amy.

"Oh yeah..." he mumbled.

"Caitlin? Caitlin, what's wrong?!" yelled Clara.

The angel was shivering, and her skin became pearly pale. Her knees gave up, but Merlin caught her just before she hit the ground.

Heads spun in their direction and Merlin sat on his knees, gently carrying Caitlin from her waist.

"Nothing, it's..." she started, right before passing out.

"All right, all right, out of the way! I'll check her up!" said the Doctor.

He hurried towards Caitlin's motionless body, pushing aside Merlin.

"Do you even qualify as a physician?" asked the king.

"Do I even quali..." whispered the Doctor, "I'm not called the Doctor for nothing, you know."

And with that, he pulled a big and fairly long metallic object out of his pocket and pointed it at Caitlin, clicking it and making its head glow green and emit a strange buzzing sound.

"Where's Gaius, anyways?" asked Arthur.

"You told him to get you something for shock, remember?" said Gwen.

"Oh... right... well what's taking him so long?" he asked.

"His study is at the other side of the castle!" she answered, lifting an eyebrow, And he's probably making the medicine right now, with such short notice! Really, Arthur, what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was watching the _Devil_ talk to_ Morgana_, telling her she'll be _even more_ powerful than she already is!" he shot back.

"Hmm..." hummed the Doctor, stopping the queen from answering and stopping the buzzing object, "She's apparently exhausted, but that's pretty much it..."

"She was in this state the day I found her, she said it was because she took a human form." said Merlin.

"But this time it was the other archangels who turned her, so there must be something else..." said Clara.

"That spell the demon used seemed pretty powerful..." said Gwen.

"And to shield such an explosion would require an enormous effort, never-mind the spell... She's had all her energy drained." said the Doctor.

"I'll take her to our room." said Merlin.

"Here, I'll help you carry her." said Arthur, getting out of his chair. Merlin snorted.

"Have I gone mad?" asked the manservant, the corner of his mouth curving, "His royal laziness is volunteering to carry someone when there are other knights and guards who could do the job?"

"Merlin, do I need to remind you that you're talking to the king?" retorted Arthur.

"Well duh, why else would you think I said '_royal_ laziness'?" answered Merlin, lifting Caitlin on his shoulder, not without the use of some discreet magic.

"Wow, you're a lot tougher than you look..." said Amy, "No offense!" she added, when Merlin raised his eyebrows.

"Right, well, if anyone else questions my abilities, might as well say it before I go trip over something and break our necks." he snapped.

"Let's see..." said Arthur, "You're gangly, I never understood how you could manage to stay on your own two feet without being blown by the wind, you're lousy at making jokes, you have the inner strength of a duck, your idiocy has absolutely no limit, and it's a wonder that you were able to survive all the battles we led until today, not to mention the time when...-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" interrupted Merlin, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a damsel in distress here who needs a bed."

"Your pride is turning into stubbornness, Merlin." said Arthur, "I said I'll help you."

"But...-" Merlin started.

"That was a friendly suggestion. I can turn it into an order if I want to." he interrupted.

Merlin was about to protest, but with a resigning sigh, he let the king carry Caitlin by the thighs while he carried her from under her arms.

"Isn't it usually the servant who's supposed to help the king and not the other way around?' Merlin heard Rory as the guards closed the throne room's doors behind him and the king.

"That ginger guy Rory has a point, you know." said Merlin, "Why _are_ you helping me?"

Arthur stopped moving suddenly, causing Merlin to falter. He searched through the corridor, apparently checking that no one was there. Then he stared at Merlin, his eyes black where they should be white and blue.

"Help?" he said in a voice that was not his own at all, "Who said anything about help?"

"Arthur?" Merlin gasped, "You did... Are you ok? Arthur?"

"Arthur is not here right now, please leave a message." he answered, letting go of Caitlin, making Merlin fall on the ground with her.


	14. Chapter 14

"Arthur?!" Merlin repeated.

The king didn't say anything, he only smiled diabolically and bent over Merlin, who instinctively backed away.

"Arthur? Arthur what are you doing?" Merlin said.

Arthur didn't follow Merlin. He kept bent over Caitlin. He raised his hand. His hand glowed.

"No! Stop!" yelled Merlin. The king ignored him and cackled.

"_Ic þé wiþdrífe_!" Merlin cast. Absolutely nothing happened.

Arthur turned his head towards Merlin, now advancing upon him.

"Did you seriously think a stupid mortal like yourself could hurt me with foolish human magic?" he said.

"You...-" Merlin began.

"Are a demon?" continued Arthur, raising his hand to his chest, faking a sad expression, "It hurts me, cabbage-ears, that you don't even remember me after only a few hours."

"You... you're... I thought demons weren't able to possess people anymore." Merlin's voice was surprisingly calm.

"Well, times change, people change." answered Sekhmet.

"You killed the druids..." Merlin remembered.

"Oh, don't get your handkerchief in a twist!" she shot back, "I only eradicated one Druid camp."

"And what are you doing here?" asked Merlin.

"Well, making sure that filth is not going to be a bother, see?" she answered.

"I'm not going to let you touch her." Merlin said. Sekhmet genuinely laughed.

"And you think YOU can stop me?" she cackled, "Oh this is rich!"

"No, being defeated by a 'stupid mortal like myself' would be rich." Merlin said. At this point, he was just stalling for time. _Come on, Caitlin_, _wake up! Please, please wake up! Caitlin... CAITLIN!_

"Ah well, I'm _so _scared." she laughed, "It was fun while it lasted. Now die."

The second she raised her hand, Merlin raised his.

"_Ic þín sáwol hér beluce, abide þæt ic þé álíese_!" he yelled. He was hoping against all hope that the Dragon's spell would work the same way it did when he trapped Cornelius Sigan's soul back in its giant crystal.

The demon stopped right away, eyes widen with fear. Arthur's possessed body started coughing dark blue smoke, puff after puff, until his eyes glowed red and an outburst of orange light poured out of his mouth and a fiery body flew out of the nearest window.

Arthur was on all fours, panting hard. Clara came, running.

"Merlin! I sensed a huge disturbance coming from here! What...-?" she said, losing track of speech when she saw the scene.

"You _exorcised _a_ demon_?!" she was shocked.

"Do you _want_ someone to hear you?!" he hissed. Merlin glanced quickly over at Arthur in panic, but was relieved to find he had fainted.

"Right. Sorry." she said almost automatically, "It's just that... _I_ can't even do that, and I'm a half-angel!"

"What?!" was all Merlin could answer.

"Clara! Why did you run off like that?" River was running towards them, "Wha...?"

she gasped at the sight of Arthur.

"He was possessed..." Merlin explained.

"I see." River said. "And how did you stop him?"

"Well, I..." Merlin started.

"Used magic?" she helped.

"Does _everyone_ know or am I just too much of a giveaway?!" Merlin asked, angry and confused.

"Actually..." River said, "I was talking about Clara, but yeah, everyone knows. Well, everyone who came with us." she pointed and her's and Clara's bodies.

"You... knew?" Clara asked.

"Biscuits damaging the Tardis' controls? Please." River winked, "I might not be as old as him, but it's my husband who's the only one to believe it." Clara blushed.

"Great, now we have two bodies to carry to Gaius." Merlin sighed.

"One each, then." said Clara.

"Oi! Forgetting someone?" asked River.

"I don't think so..." teased Clara.

"Fine. If that's how you'll be, there won't be any Transylvania for you." River said in a way that made Merlin suspect she was related to his mother.

"Bye, River!" Clara smiled.

"I'll tell them you went to the loo, yeah? I mean... chamber pots..." she wrinkled her nose as she turned on her heels and walked away.

"Well. She's something." Merlin said in an impressed voice.

"She sure is dangerous, too. You really don't want to see her with a gun." answered Clara, hoisting Caitlin up, no doubt with a bit of magic.

"Gun?" Merlin asked, lifting Arthur up. The Dollop-Head might deny it as much as he want, Merlin will keep insisting on adding holes to his belt.

"Oh, right. They're like bows from the future." Clara answered.

And they strode on to Gaius' study. When they opened the door, Gaius was beaming at Merlin. He then saw Clara and the unconscious Arthur and Caitlin, and sighed.

"What happened now?" he asked.

"Caitlin, tired. Arthur, possessed." Merlin answered, as they cautiously placed the bodies on sickbeds.

"Possessed?!" Gaius repeated, "How did you stop him?!"

"Like I always do, magic." Merlin said.

"Merlin!" Gaius hissed, staring at Clara.

"It's OK, I already know." she said, laughing.

"How did you stop it, then?!" Gaius' eyes darted back at Merlin, "Exorcising a demon is far beyond your powers!"

"Well, apparently it isn't." Merlin replied. "Anyways, Gaius, can you do something about them?"

Gaius went and diagnosed both of the patients, his eyebrow ever so high, and came back.

"Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix, but they will be weak tomorrow." Gaius explained, "Well, maybe not Caitlin, since she can heal herself, but you'll certainly not heal the king while he's awake."

"Alright. Thanks." Merlin said, relieved.

"I'll just go, I think we all need to sleep." said Clara. "Er... what shall I say when they notice the king doesn't come back with me?"

"Tell them... that he tripped and knocked himself out." Merlin said, Clara snorted.

"He'll have your head if he found out." she said, disappearing through the door.

He turned around to find Gaius giving him The Eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You know what, Merlin." Gaius said, "How many people know about your magic now?"

"Um... Just the time traveling people... and the angels... and demons..." Merlin said, carefully not looking into Gaius' eyes.

"It's a wonder you still have your head, Merlin, regarding your lack of survival instinct." Gaius sighed.

"Oi! The first day we met, I saved your life without a moment's notice, and I'm not going to count all the other times I saved everyone everywhere!" Merlin retorted.

"I was talking about _you_, Merlin." Gaius said, "You don't look after yourself, you only care about the others. You're too selfless."

"I...-"

"Anyways," Gaius interrupted, "I don't think telling you the same thing for the hundredth time will make you more careful. Come on, bed."

Merlin headed to his room with a groan as a reply, changing into his pajamas with the way Caitlin taught him. This time, his shirt was on backwards, but it was definitely _his clothes_ and they were _on him_.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER?!" a voice came out of nowhere. Merlin screamed and jumped, taken completely by surprise. It was not his most... manly yell...

"Ooh sorry..." Uriel's voice resounded in his head, but she cracked up and laughed like a maniac.

"Uriel... I hate you." Merlin said.

"Oh man up, at least you didn't wet yourse-... oh... you did..." she answered.

Merlin looked down, but there was nothing there.

"Ha ha, made you look!" Uriel laughed again.

"Are you sure you're an angel? I'd say a demon would behave better." Merlin snapped.

"Oi! Say that again and I'll haunt you until your hair becomes gray!" she said, "Anyways, what happened?"

And Merlin recited the whole scene. Uriel's reaction was... not exactly what he expected... She was panicking and awed and apparently confused at the same time. This did not improve Merlin's mood.

"You _exorcised _a_ demon_?! Wait, wait, a _demon_ possessed a _human_?! Wait, no, _Satan_ attacked _Caitlin_?! Hang on, is Caitlin even _alright_?!"

"Well, I think so, but...-"

"GABRIEL!" Uriel's voice faded away and the link broke.

"Hmph, leaving without even saying goodbye. Rude." Merlin said sarcastically.

Merlin sat on his bed, laid there for quite some time, but he just couldn't sleep, the last two days kicking in. He went and took one of the remaining sleeping droughts that Gaius recently made for the king, and came back to bed, slowly drifting in an artificial sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

He woke up with a nasty headache. And a familiar face staring at him.

"Morning, sunshine!" she said.

"Caitlin! Are you OK?!" Merlin sat up abruptly, his world blacking out for a second.

"Yes, yes, I'm alright, but I'm more concerned about you than myself." she answered with a concerned smile.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine!" Merlin answered, "How's Arthur?"

"Still sleeping." Caitlin said, "Merlin. You _exorcised_ a _demon_."

"Why do everyone stress on those two words every time they say it?" Merlin asked.

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. For a moment there Merlin thought she was turning into Gaius.

"_Because_, Merlin, a demon can't possess anyone anymore. And also because you're not supposed to have that kind of power." Caitlin answered, "Hell, I don't even think _I_ can manage that without leaving the possessed person either mentally damaged or dead!"

"But... is Arthur...?" Merlin started.

"He's fine, don't worry." Caitlin said, "You know, it's quite unusual... I tell you that you have a power that even one of the highest Archangels can't manage, and yet you don't care, you just care about your king's safety..."

"Yeah, I get that a lot... Gaius literally told me that yesterday..." Merlin answered, scratching the back of his head.

"Anyways, good morning!" Caitlin said, leaning down and kissing him.

"What was that for?" Merlin grinned rather sheepishly, "Not that I'm complaining."

"Oh nothing, just for being there, I guess." Caitlin said, "Without you, Sekhmet would've most certainly killed Arthur. She couldn't kill me but she could've hurt me. A lot."

"Well, it was my pleasure." Merlin said, getting out of bed changing his clothes magically and actually right, this time.

"You're getting the hang of it!" Caitlin said, beaming at him.

"Why the tone of surprise?" Merlin answered.

"Oh, shut up. We don't want you to become all big-headed, now." Caitlin said.

They walked out of the room, Arthur was still on his sickbed. Merlin sighed.

"How long have you been up?" he asked Caitlin.

"Long enough to have heard your conversation with Uriel." she answered.

"Um... all of it?" Merlin stilled.

"I only heard her scream Gabriel's name in my head and that was it." her smile turned into a malicious one, "I definitely did not wake up on someone screaming like a girl."

"It' not my fault! It was dark and silent and there was no one and she suddenly screams inside my head!" Merlin burst out.

"Woah there, tiger!" she raised her arms, "I didn't make fun of you yet, did I?"

"You were thinking it." Merlin said.

"True, but I wouldn't have...-"

A grunt escaped Arthur. Merlin sprang next to him.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked.

"Mer... lin?" the king's voice was absolutely broken.

"It's alright, I'm here." Merlin said. "Caitlin, wet towel!"

She made one out of thin air and handed it over to Merlin, who applied it to Arthur's forehead.

He managed to open his eyes and sat up slowly, grunting all the way.

"What... happened?" he asked, clearly regretting his action as he cringed.

"What do you, um... what do you remember?" Merlin asked.

"The explosion... Caitlin, you fainted..." the king glanced at Caitlin before returning to Merlin, "Then all I saw was gray and orange smoke... and then I was talking and moving without wanting to... I... I, um... I attacked you!" the king shifted in the bed.

_Oh no, he remembers everything... Oh no... Oh no... Oh nononononono!_ Merlin started panicking. He glanced at Caitlin and noticed that she was thinking the same thing.

"I swear I tried to stop myself, but all that happened was someone laughing in my head... and then..." Arthur's eyes widened and his body stiffened, "You have magic."

"I..." Merlin's throat was dry. He couldn't lie anymore, he just knew. "Yes."

The king stared at him and said nothing. They stayed like this for a while, then the king snorted. Then the king laughed. He was _laughing_. What the hell was that about?!

* * *

**Hey everyone! thanks for sticking with me all the way until here! What will happen next? is the king going to _kill_ Merlin? bahaha no one will know until september! or sooner if I get internet access. Anyways, thanks!**


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